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HHil H A- 










. , .. • 







A VOICE OF WARNING 


AND 

INSTRUCTION TO ALL PEOPLE, 

OR, AN INTRODUCTION TO 

THE FAITH AND DOCTRINE 


OF THE 

©toiMti of fmw (Slmst of fattor-gaa Quints, 

BY PARLEY P. PRATT. 

“Behold, the former things are come to pass , and 
new things do I declare : before they spring forth I tell 
you of them — Isaiah xlii. 9. 

“ Produce your cause , saith the Lord , bring forth 
your strong reasons , saith the King of Jacob” — Isaiah 
xli. 24. 


NINTH EDITION. 

\ 

SA.LT LAKE CITY : 



THE DESERET NEWS STEAM PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT. 

1874. 


B-K 

I5ia 


— — — 

Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1874 by 

DAVID O. C ALDER, 

IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS, AT WASHINGTON, 


DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 


Printed at the Deseret News Steam Printing Establishment} 
SALT LAKE CITY. 



CONTENTS. 


Preface to the Second European Edition 
Ditto First American ditto 

CHAPTER I. 

On Prophecy already Fulfilled 

CHAPTER II. 

On the Fulfillment of Prophecy yet future 
CHAPTER III. 

The Kingdom of God ... 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Book of Mormon— Origin of the 
American Indians, etc. 

CHAPTER V. 

The Resurrection of the Saints, and the 
Restoration of all things spoken by 
the Prophets 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER VI. 

The Dealings of God with all Nations in 

regard to Revelation 156 

CHAPTER VII. 

A Contrast between the Doctrine of Christ, 
and the False Doctrines of the nineteenth 
century 165 


PREFACE 


TO THE SECOND EUROPEAN EDITION. 


W HEN the following Work was first published in America, in 
1837, it was but little known, and seemed to meet with little 
or no encouragement. Months passed away, and very few 
copies were sold or read. But, to the astonishment of the 
author, it worked itself into notice more and more, by the 
blessing of God, and by virtue of its own real merits ; till, in 
two years, the first edition, consisting of three thousand 
copies, was all sold, and many more were called for. A new 
edition was published in 1839, consisting of two thousand 
five hundred copies: these were also disposed of. Other 
three editions have since been published, making in all thir- 
teen thousand copies now disposed of, and the demand is still 
increasing both in America and Europe. 

It has already found its way into most of the American 
States, and into the provinces of the Canadas, as well as many 
parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. It has visit- 
ed the cottages of the humble, and the parlors of the great ; 
and from the best information we have on the subject, very 
few have risen from its perusal without a deep and settled 
conviction of the truth of its principles. 

The author has now in his possession the testimony of 
hundreds of people, from different states and nations, all bear- 
ing witness that this Work has been a means, in the hands of 
God, of saving them from infidelity, from sectarian error and 
delusion, and of guiding them into the light of Truth. 

All these considerations, and an intense desire to impart 
the truth to mankind as widely as possible, have induced the 
author to send forth this new edition ; which he greatly de- 
sires may prove a blessing to thousands who are yet grovel- 
ling in darkness and superstition, and lead them to the true 
fold of God. 


vi 


EUROPEAN PREFACE. 


If there be anything to admire, or anything praiseworthy 
in this Work, the author has no claim to the honor or the 
praise ; it is justly due to him who is the Source and Foun- 
tain of all Truth. The author was a husbandman, inured to 
the plough — unpolished by education, untaught in the 
schools of modern Sectarianism, (falsely called “ Divinity ”) 
— reared in the wilds of America, with a mind independent, 
untrammelled and free. He drank of the pure fountain of 
Truth, unsullied and unmixed, as it unfolded in majesty of 
light and splendor from the opening heavens in all the sim- 
plicity of its nature. As such it has flowed from his pen in 
the following volume ; not veiled in mystery ; not dressed 
in the pomp of high-sounding names, and titles, and learned 
terms ; not adorned in the gay attire of eloquence flowing 
from the imagination and the passions ; but standing forth 
in the undress of its own native modesty, as if conscious of 
the purity and innocence of its nature. 

He is indebted not only to the Spirit of Truth for the 
principles contained in this Work, but also to several men, 
who have been made the instruments in the hands of God, to 
reveal the knowledge of God to this generation, and to be 
the founders and leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-day Saints. 

Among the foremost of these, he would make honorable 
mention of President Joseph Smith, by whose instrument- 
ality most of these glorious truths (so well known to the 
ancients ) have been restored to the knowledge of the world 
— and whose zeal, labors, sufferings, and subsequent murder, 
will stand forth as a bright memorial to all succeeding ages, 
and be celebrated by happy millions yet unborn. 

With an assurance that the principles of this Work will 
yet prevail over the whole earth, this new edition of the 
Voice of Warning is now sent forth ; and should the au- 
thor be called to sacrifice his life for the cause of truth, he 
will have the consolation that it will be said of him, as it was 
said of Abel, viz., “ He, being dead, yet speaketh.” 

PARLEY P. PRATT. 

Manchester, England, 

Dec. 4, 1846. 


PREFACE 


TO THJj FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. 


During the last nine years, the public mind has been con- 
stantly agitated, more or less, through all parts of our coun- 
try, with the cry of “Mormonism, Mormonism, Delusion, 
Imposture, Fanaticism,” etc., chiefly through the instru- 
mentality of the press. Many of the newspapers of the day 
have been constantly teeming with misrepresentations and 
slanders of the foulest kind, in order to destroy the influence 
and character of an innocent society in its very infancy ; a 
society of whose real principles many of them know nothing 
at all. Every species of wickedness has been resorted to, 
and all manner of evil has been spoken against them falsely; 
insomuch, that in many places, houses and ears are closed 
against them, without the possibility of being heard for a mo- 
ment. Were this the only evil, we might have less cause of 
complaint ; but in consequence of this, we have been assault- 
ed by mobs, some of our houses have been torn down or 
burned, our goods destroyed, and fields of grain laid waste. 
Yea, more — some of us have been stoned, whipped, and shot . 
our blood has been caused to flow, and still smokes to hea- 
ven, because of our religious principles, in this our native 
land, the boasted land of liberty and equal law ! while we 
have sought in vain for redress. Officers of state have been 
deaf to the voice of Innocence, imploring at their feet for 
justice and protection in the enjoyment of their rights as 
American citizens. 


viii 


AMERICAN PREFACE. 


Under these circumstances, what could be done ? How 
were we to correct the public mind? We were few in num- 
ber, and our means of giving information very limited ; the 
columns of most of the papers were closed against us, their 
popularity being at stake the moment our principles were 
admitted. It is true we published a monthly paper, in which 
our principles were clearly set forth ; but its circulation was 
limited to a few thousands. Under these circumstances, had 
we the tongue of angels, and the zeal of Apostles, with our 
hearts expanded wide as eternity, with the intelligence of 
heaven, and the love of God burning in our bosoms : and 
commissioned to bear as joyful tidings as ever were borne 
by Michael, the Archangel, from the regions of glory ; yet, 
it would have been as impossible for us to have communi- 
cated the same to the public, as it was for Paul, when he 
stood in the midst of Ephesus, to declare the glad tidings of a 
crucified and risen Redeemer, when his voice was lost amid 
the universal cry of “ Great is Diana of the Ephesians.” Go, 
lift your voice to the tumultuous waves of the ocean, or try 
to reason amid the roar of cannon while the tumult of war 
is gathering thick around, or speak to the howling tempest 
while it pours a deluge over the plains : let your voice be 
heard amid the roar of chariots rushing suddenly over the 
pavements ; or, what is still less useful, converse with a man 
who is lost in slumbers, or reason with a drunkard while he 
reels to and fro under the influence of the intoxicating poison, 
and these will convince you of the impossibility of communi- 
cating truth to that soul who is willing to make up his judg- 
ment upon popular rumor, or to be wafted gently down the 
current of public opinion, without stopping for a moment to 
listen, to weigh, to hear both sides of the question, and judge 
for himself. 

One of the greatest obstacles in the way of the spread of 
truth, in every age, is the tide of public opinion. Let one 


AMERICAN PREFACE. 


ix 


ray of light burst upon the world in any age, and it is sure to 
come in contact with the traditions and long-established us- 
ages of men, and their opinions; or with some religious 
craft, so that, like the Ephesians, they counsel together what 
shall be done ; their great god dess will be spoken against, 
her magnificence despised, her temple deserted ; or, what is 
still worse, their craft is in danger, for by this they have 
their wealth. Call to mind the Apostles in contact with the 
Jewish Rabbis, or with Gentile superstitions ; in short, at 
war with every religious establishment on the earth. Wit- 
ness the popular clamor : “If we let them thus alone, all 
men will believe on them, and the Romans will come and 
take away our place and nation.” “ These men that turn the 
world upside down have come hither also.” “ What new 
doctrine is this, for thou bringest certain strange things to 
our ears?” “These men do exceedingly trouble our city, 
and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, 
being Romans.” “What will this babbler say, he seems to 
be a setter forth of strange gods?” And many other such 
like sayings. 

Or, let us for a moment contemplate the events of later 
date ; for instance, the Mother Church against the reformers 
of various ages ; see them belied, slandered, degraded, whip- 
ped, stoned, imprisoned, burned, and destroyed in various 
ways, while the ignorant multitude were made to believe 
they were the very worst of men. Again, think for a mo- 
ment of the struggles of Columbus, an obscure individual of 
limited education, but blessed with a largeness of heart, a 
noble genius, a mind which disdained to confine itself to the 
old beaten track ; accustomed to think for itself, it burst the 
chains which, in ages past, had held in bondage the nations 
of the earth ; it soared aloft, as it were on eagle’s wings ; it 
outstripped and left far behind the boasted genius of Greece 
and Rome ; it penetrated the dark mysteries which lay con- 


X 


AMERICAN PREFACE. 


cealed amid the western waters. Behold him struggling for 
eight years against the learned ignorance of the courts and 
councils of Europe, while the sneer of contempt, the finger 
of scorn, and the hiss of derision, were the solid arguments 
opposed to his theory. But what was the result when, after 
many a fruitless struggle, an expedition was fitted out, 
consisting of three small vessels ? A new world presented 
itself to the wondering nations of the East, destined, at no 
distant period, to become the theatre of the most glorious 
and astonishing events of the last days. This fact was no 
sooner demonstrated than their philosophical, geographical, 
and religious objections vanished in a moment; haughty 
ignorance and bigotry were for once constrained to cast their 
honors in the dust, and bow their reverend heads at the feet 
of real worth, and learn, in humble silence, that one fact, 
clearly demonstrated, was worth ten thousand theories and 
opinions of men. 

Having said so much to impress upon the human mind 
the necessity of hearing, and then judging, I would only 
add, that the object of this publication is to give the public 
correct information concerning a religious system, which has 
penetrated every State from Maine to Missouri, as well as the 
Canadas, in the short space of nine years; organizing 
Churches and Conferences in every region, and gathering in 
its progress from fifty to a hundred thousand disciples ; hav- 
ing at the same time, to sustain the shock of an overwhelm- 
ing, religious influence, opposed 'to it by the combined 
powers of every sect in America. What but the arm of 
Omnipotence could have moved it forward amid the rage of 
mobs ? having to contend with the prejudice of the ignorant 
and the pen of the learned ; at war with every creed and craft 
in Christendom ; while the combined powers of earth and 
hell were hurling a storm of persecution, unparalleled in the 
history of our country. 


This Work is also intended as a warning voice, or procla- 
mation of truth, to all people into whose hands it may fall, 
that they may understand, and be prepared for the great day 
of the Lord. Opinion and guesswork in the things of God 
are worse than useless ; facts, well demonstrated, can alone 
be of service to mankind. And as the Holy Ghost can alone 
guide us into all truth, we pray God the Eternal Father, in 
the name of Jesus Christ His Son, that the Spirit of Truth 
may inspire our heart in inditing this matter ; that we may 
be able to write the truth in demonstration of the Spirit and 
of power, that it may be the word of God, the everlasting 
Gospel, the power of God unto salvation, to the Gentile first, 
and also to the Jew. 



A VOICE OF WARNING 


AND 

INSTRUCTION' TO ALL PEOPLE. 


CHAPTER I. 

ON PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do 
well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, 
until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: know- 
ing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private 
interpretation ; for the prophecy came not in old time by the will 
of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved upon 
by the Holy Ghost.”— Petek. 

In order to prove anything from Scripture, it is highly 
necessary in the first place to lay down some certain, 
definite, infallible rule of interpretation, without which 
the mind is lost in uncertainty and doubt, ever learning, 
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

The neglect of such a rule has thrown mankind into 
the utmost confusion and uncertainty in all their biblical 
researches. Indeed, while mankind are left at liberty 
to transform, spiritualize, or give any uncertain or 
private interpretation to the word of God, all is uncer- 
tainty. 

<c Whatsoever was written aforetime, was written for 
our profit and learning, that we through patience and 


B 


2 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope.” Now, 
suppose a friend from a distance should write us a letter, 
making certain promises to us on certain conditions, 
which, if we obtained, would be greatly to our profit and 
advantage ; of course it might be said the letter was 
written for our profit and learning, that through pa- 
tience and comfort of the letter we might have hope to 
obtain the things promised. Now if we clearly under- 
stood the letter, and knew what to expect, then it would 
afford us comfort and hope ; whereas, if there was any 
doubt or uncertainty on our minds in the understanding 
of the same, then could we derive no certain comfort or 
hope from the things written, not knowing what to hope 
for; consequently the letter would not profit us at all. 
And so it is with the Scriptures. No prophecy or pro- 
mise will profit the reader, or produce patience, comfort, 
or hope in his mind until clearly understood, that he 
may know precisely what to hope for. Now, the pre- 
dictions of the Prophets can be clearly understood, as 
much so as the almanac when it foretells an eclipse ; or 
else the Bible of all books is of most doubtful usefulness. 
Par better would it have been for mankind, if the great 
Author of our existence had revealed nothing to His 
fallen creatures, than to have revealed a book which 
would leave them in doubt and uncertainty, to contend 
with one another, from age to age, respecting the mean- 
ing of its contents. That such uncertainty and conten- 
tion have existed for ages, none will deny. The wise 
and learned have differed, and do still widely differ, from 
each other, in the understanding of prophecy. Whence 
then this difference ? Either Revelation itself is defi- 
cient, or else the fault is in mankind. But to say Reve- 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 3 


lation is deficient, would be to charge God foolishly ; 
God forbid: the fault must be in man. There are two 
great causes for this blindness, which I will now show: 

First, mankind have supposed that direct inspira- 
tion by the Holy Ghost was not intended for all ages of 
the Church, but was confined to primitive times ; the 
“Canon of Scripture being full,” and all things necessary 
being revealed ; the Spirit which guides into all truth 
was no longer for the people : therefore they sought to 
understand, by their own wisdom, and by their own 
learning, what could never be clearly understood, ex- 
cept by the Spirit of truth : for the things of God 
knoweth no man, except by the Spirit of God. 

Secondly, having lost the Spirit of Inspiration, they 
began to institute their own opinions, traditions, and 
commandments ; giving constructions and private in- 
terpretations to the written word, instead of believing 
the things written. And the moment they departed 
from its literal meaning, one man’s opinion, or inter- 
pretation, was just as good as another’s ; all were clothed 
with equal authority, and from thence arose all the 
darkness and misunderstanding on these points, which 
have agitated the world for the last seventeen hundred 
years. 

Among the variety of commodities which attract 
the attention of mankind, there is one thing of more 
value than all others. A principle which, if once pos- 
sessed, would greatly assist in obtaining all other things 
worth possessing, whether it were power, wealth, riches, 
honors, thrones, or dominions. Comparatively few have 
ever possessed it, although it was within the reach of 
many others, but they were either not aware of it, or did 


not know its value. It has worked wonders for the few 
who have possessed it. Some it enabled to escape from 
drowning, while every soul who did not possess it was 
lost in the mighty deep. Others it saved from famine, 
while thousands perished all around them ; by it men 
have often been raised to dignity in the state ; yea, more, 
some have been raised to the throne of empires. The 
possession of it has sometimes raised men from a dun- 
geon to a palace ; and there are instances in which those 
that possessed it were delivered from the flames, while 
cities were consumed, and every soul, themselves ex- 
cepted, perished. Frequently, when a famine or the 
sword has destroyed a city or nation, they alone who 
possessed it escaped unhurt. By this time the reader 
inquires, What can that thing be? Inform me, and 
I will purchase it, even at the sacrifice of all I possess 
on earth. Well, kind reader, this treasure is foreknow- 
ledge ! a knowledge of things future ! Let a book be 
published, entitled, “A Knowledge of the Future,” and 
let mankind be really convinced that it did give a cer- 
tain, definite knowledge of future events, so that its 
pages unfolded the future history of the nations, and of 
many great events, as the history of Greece or Rome does 
unfold the past, and a large edition would immediately 
sell at a great sum per copy ; indeed, they would be above 
all price. Now, kind reader, the books of the Prophets, 
and the Spirit of prophecy were intended for this very 
purpose. Well did the Apostle say, “Covet earnestly the 
best gifts ; but rather that ye prophecy.” 

Having said so much, we will now enter into the 
wide expanded field which lies before us, and search out 
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge which have 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 5 

been shining for ages like a light in a dark place. We 
will explore regions unknown to many ; we will gaze 
upon the opening glories which present themselves on 
every side, and feast our souls with knowledge which is 
calculated in its nature to enlarge the heart, to exalt the 
mind, and to raise the affections above the little, mean, 
grovelling things of the world, and to make one wise 
unto salvation. 

But, first, for the definite rule of interpretation. 
For this we will not depend on any man or commentary, 
for the Holy Ghost has given it by the mouth of Peter : 
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture 
is of any private interpretation.” 2 Peter i. 20. 

There is one grand division to be kept constantly in 
view in the study of prophecy; namely, the distinction 
between the past and the future. The reader should be 
careful to ascertain what portion has been fulfilled, and 
what remains to be fulfilled ; always remembering Peter’s 
rule of interpretation will apply to both. Now, if we 
should find in our researches, that every prophecy which 
has been fulfilled to this present year, has been literally 
fulfilled, then it follows of necessity that every prophecy 
which is yet future will not fail of a literal fulfillment. 
Let us commence with the days of Noah. Gen. vi. 17. 
“'And, behold I, even I, dobring a flood of waters upon 
the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of 
life, from under heaven ; and every thing that is in the 
earth shall die.” 

In the verses which follow the above, the Lord com- 
mands Noah to enter the Ark, and take with him ani- 
mals of every kind, &c. And in the 22nd verse it is 
written, “ Thus did Noah, according to all that God com- 


6 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

manded him, so did he.” It was well for Noah that he 
was not well versed in the spiritualizing systems of r 
modern divinity ; for, under their benighted influence, 
he would never have believed that «60 marvelous a pro- 
phecy would have had a literal meaning and accomplish- 
ment. No, he would have been told that the flood 
meant a spiritual flood, and the Ark a spiritual Ark, and 
the moment he thought otherwise, he would have been 
set down for a fanatic, knave, or fool ; but it was so, that 
he was just simple enough to believe the prophecy liter- 
ally. Here then is a fair sample of foreknowledge ; for 
all the world, who did not possess it, perished by the 
flood. 

The next prediction we will notice is Gen. xv. 13 — 16. 
l( And he said unto Abraham, know of a surety that thy 
seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and 
shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hun- 
dred years. And also that nation, whom they shall 
serve, will I judge; and afterwards shall they come out 
with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in 
peace ; thou shalt be buried in a good old age ; but in 
the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for 
the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.” 

The evil entreating of the children of Israel four hun- 
dred years, together with their coming out with great 
substance, and the judgments of God upon Egypt, as 
well as the death of Abraham in a good old age, are all 
facts too well known to need comment here ; suffice it to 
say, that it is a striking example of the exact fulfillment 
of prophecy, uttered more than four hundred years be- 
fore it had its accomplishment. From 'this we gather 
that none of those ancient men knew anything of the 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 7 


modern system of spiritualizing. Our next is Gen. xix. 
12, 13. “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here 
any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daugh- 
ters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them 
out of this place: for we will destroy this place, because 
the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the 
Lord ; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.” Now, 
Lot being simple enough to believe the thing in its lit- 
eral sense, took as many of his family as would follow, 
and escaped for his life; to the great amusement, no 
doubt, of the Sodomites, who probably stood gazing 
after, crying “ Delusion, delusion !” they thinking all the 
while that the prophecy was only a figure. Here is an 
example of a man escaping from the flames by fore- 
knowledge imparted to him, while the whole city per- 
ished. O ! what a blessing that Lot had no knowledge 
of the modern manner of interpreting prophecy. If it 
had once entered his heart that he must come out of 
Sodom spiritually, instead of literally, it would have 
cost him his life 

Let us examine a prophecy of Joseph in the land of 
Egypt. Gen. xli. 29—31. t( Behold, there come seven 
years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: 
and there shall arise after them seven years of famine; 
and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of 
Egypt ; and the famine shall consume the land: and 
the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of 
that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.” 
Joseph then proceeds to give directions for corn to be 
laid up in great abundance during the seven plenteous 
years, in order to provide against the famine. And 
Pharaoh, being no better versed in the school of modern. 


8 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

divinity than his predecessors, never once thought of 
any other interpretation but the most literal. And thus 
he was the means, together with Joseph, in the hand of 
God, of saving, not only their nation, but the house of 
Israel, from famine. This is another striking example 
of the power of foreknowledge. It not only saved from 
famine, but it exalted Joseph from a dungeon to a 
palace ; from the lowest degradation to the highest 
honor ; so that they cried before him, “ Bow the knee.” 
But, Oh ! what death and mourning would have follow- 
ed had they dreamed only of spiritual famine and spirit- 
ual corn. 

Having given a few plain examples of early ages, we 
will lightly touch upon some of the most remarkable 
events of prophecy, and its fulfillment, until we come 
down to the Jewish Prophets, where the field opens 
wide, touching in its progress the most remarkable 
events of all ages, and terminating in a full development 
of the opening glories of the last days. 

One remarkable instance, concerning Elijah the Pro- 
phet, was, that he prophesied to Ahab that it should 
not rain for three years and upwards, which came to 
pass according to his word. There is also a remarkable 
instance of Hazael, the Syrian, who came to Elisha to 
inquire of the Lord concerning the king of Syria, his 
master, who was sick. The Prophet, earnestly behold- 
ing him, burst into tears : and Hazael asked him, say- 
ing; “Why weepest thou? ” and he, answering, said, 
“The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be king over 
Syria.” And he then proceeded to unfold unto him 
the cruelties which he would afterwards exercise towards 
Israel, which are too horrible to mention here, lest in so 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED, 9 


doing I might offend the delicate ear. But Hazael, as- 
tonished to hear these things predicted concerning him- 
self, which at that time filled him with horror, exclaimed 
with surprise, “ But what! is thy servant a dog, that he 
should do this great thing ?" Yet, astonishing to tell, all 
was afterwards fulfilled to the very letter. 

In the 21st chap. 2 Chron., it is written, that there 
came a writing to Jehoram from Elijah, which, after 
stating the great wickedness of which he had been 
guilty, in turning to idolatry, and also murdering his 
brethren of his father's house, who were better than 
himself, proceeds thus: “Behold, with a great plague 
will the Lord smite thy people, and thy children, and 
thy wives, and all thy goods ; and thou shalt have great 
sickness by disease of the bowels, until thy bowels fall 
out, by reason of thy sickness, day by day." In the 
same chapter it is written, that the Philistines and 
Arabians came against him, and took his wives, and 
children, and goods captive ; and after all this, the Lord 
smote him in his bowels with an incurable disease, and 
his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness, so he died 
of sore disease. 

In the 6th chapter of Joshua, 26th verse, there is a 
wonderful prediction concerning Jericho: “Cursed be 
the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this 
city Jericho. He shall lay the foundation thereof in his 
first-born, and in his youngest son shall he set up the 
gates of it." 

After this curse the city of Jericho lay waste for ages, 
none daring to rebuild it at the expense of their first- 
born and of their youngest son ; until after a long suc- 
cession of judges and kings, when hundreds of years 


10 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

had passed, Hiel the Bethelite, who lived in the days 
of Ahab, probably supposing that the Lord had forgotten 
the curse pronounced upon it by Joshua, ventured to re- 
build the city : but no sooner had he laid the foundation 
thereof than Abirarn his first-born died, and, still perse- 
vering in the hardness of his heart, he set up the gates 
thereof, with the loss of his youngest son, Segub, accord- 
ing to the word of the Lord by Joshua ; see 1 Kings, xvi. 
34. We might fill a volume with instances of a similar 
kind, dispersed through the historical part of the Scrip- 
tures ; but we forbear, in order to hasten to a more full 
examination of the books of the Jewish Prophets. We 
shall trace them in their fulfillment upon Jerusalem, 
Babylon, Tyre, Egypt, and various other nations. 

Babylon, the most ancient and renowned city of the 
world, was pleasantly situated on the banks of a majes- 
tic river, that flowed through the plains of Shinar, near 
to which the tower of Babel once stood. It was laid out 
foursquare, and surrounded with a wall upwards of three 
hundred feet high, and sixty miles in circumference ; 
having a hundred gates of brass with bars of iron; 
twenty-five gates on each side, which opened to streets 
running through the city, a distance of fifteen miles; 
thus forming the whole city into exact squares of equal 
size. In the midst of these squares were beautiful gar- 
dens, adorned with trees and walks, diversified with 
flowers of varied hue ; while the houses were built upon 
the borders of the squares, directly fronting on the 
streets. In the midst of this city sat Nebuchadnezzar, 
enthroned in royal splendor and magnificence, and sway- 
ing his sceptre over all the kingdoms of the world, when 
it pleased God, in a vision of the night, to unveil the 


PROPHECY ALREADY - FULFILLED. 11 


dark curtain of the future, and to present before him, at 
one view, the history of the world, even down to the 
consummation of all things. Behold, a great image 
stood before him, whose head was of fine gold, his breast 
and arms of silver, his belly and thighs of brass, his legs 
of iron, his feet and toes part of iron and part of miry 
clay. He beheld, till a stone was cut out of the moun- 
tain without hands, which smote the image upon the 
feet, which were part of iron and part of clay, and brake 
them in pieces ; then was the iron, the brass, the silver, 
and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became as the 
chaff of the summer threshing-floor; and the wind carried 
them away, and there was no place found for them ; but the 
stone which smote the image be came a great mountain, 
and filled the whole earth. When Daniel was brought 
in before the king, to tell the dream and the interpreta- 
tion, he exclaimed, “There is a God in heaven that 
revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king, Nebu- 
chadnezzar, what shall be in the latter days.” Then, 
after telling the dream, he continues thus: “Thou, O 
king, art a king of kings ; for the God of heaven hath 
given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts 
of the field, and the fowls of the heaven, hath he given 
into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them 
all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall 
arise another kingdom, inferior to thee, and another 
third kingdom, of brass, which shall bear rule overall 
the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as 
iron : forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdu- 
eth all things : and as iron that breaketh all these, shall 
it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou saw- 


12 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

est the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of 
iron, the kingdom shall be divided : but there shall be 
in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou saw- 
est the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes 
of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the king- 
dom shall be partly strong and partly broken. And 
whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, 
they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men ; but 
they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not 
mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall 
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never 
be destroyed : and the kingdom shall not be left to other 
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these 
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as 
thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain 
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the 
brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold ; the great God hath 
made known to the king what shall come to pass here- 
after; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation 
thereof sure.” 

In this great view of the subject we have presented 
before us, in succession, first, the kingdom of Nebu- 
chadnezzar; second, the Medes and Persians, who took 
Babylon from Belshazzar, and reigned over all the earth ; 
third, the Greeks under Alexander, who conquered the 
world, and reigned in the midst of Babylon ; and 
fourth, the Roman empire, which subdued all things; 
fifth, its division into eastern and western empires, and 
its final breaking up or subdivision into the various 
kingdoms of modern Europe, represented by the feet 
and toes, part of iron and part of clay. And, lastly, we 
have presented before us an entirely new kingdom, or- 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 13 


ganizedby the God of heaven in the last days, or during 
the reign of these kings, represented by the feet and toes. 
This last kingdom was never to change masters, like all 
the kingdoms which had gone before it. It was never 
to be left to other people. It was to break in pieces all 
these kingdoms, and stand for ever. Many suppose 
that this last kingdom alluded to was the kingdom of 
God which was organized in the days of Christ, or his 
Apostles. But a greater blunder could not exist ; the 
kingdom of God set up in the days of Christ, or his 
Apostles, did not break in pieces any of the kingdoms 
of the world ; it was itself warred against and overcome, 
in fulfillment of the words of Daniel, 7th chapter, 21st 
verse, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the 
saints, and prevailed against them;” also 22nd verse, 
“ Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was 
given to the saints of the Most High ; and the time came 
that the saints possessed the kingdom ; ” also verse 27th, 
“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of 
the kingdom, under the whole heaven, shall be given to 
the people of the saints of the Most High, whose king- 
dom is an everlasting kingdom ; and all dominions shall 
serve and obey him.” 

John records, Rev. xiii. 7, “And it was given unto 
him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them ; 
and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, 
and nations.” In fulfillment of these sayings, power has 
been given to the authorities of the earth to kill the 
Apostles and inspired men, until, if any remained, they 
were banished from among men, or forced to retire to 
the desolate islands, or the dens and caves of the moun- 
tains of the earth, being men of whom the world was 


14 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

not worthy ; while at the same time, many false Prophets 
and teachers were introduced in their place, whom men 
heaped to themselves, because they would not endure 
sound doctrine. In this way the kingdom of God be- 
came disorganized , and lost from among men, and the 
doctrines and churches of men instituted in its place. 
But we design to speak more fully on this subject when 
we come to treat on the subject of the kingdom of God. 
Suffice it to say, that the kingdom spoken of by Daniel 
is something to be organized in the last days by the God 
of heaven Himself, without the aid of human institu- 
tions or the precepts of men. And, when once organ- 
ized, it will never cease to roll ; all the powers of earth 
and hell will not impede its progress, until at length the 
Ancient of days shall sit, and the Lord Jesus will come 
in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, as 
the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and destroy 
all these kingdoms, and give the kingdom and the 
greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heaven, to 
the Saints. Then there will be but one Lord, and His 
name one, and He shall be King over all the earth. 

We will now return to Nebuchadnezzar, whom the 
Lord, by the mouth of Jeremiah, calls His servant, to 
execute His judgments upon the nations. It seems that 
the Lord exalted this great man, and made him a king 
of kings, and lord of lords, arming him with His own 
sword, and clothing him with power and authority, for 
the express purpose of executing His judgments, and 
scourging and humbling all the nations of the earth. Jere- 
miah, chap, xxv., says, that the Lord purposed to bring 
Nebuchadnezzar and his army against Jerusalem, and 
against all the nations round about, that he might bring 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 15 


them to desolation and captivity for seventy years ; and 
after seventy years, He would turn and punish the king of 
Babylon and that nation for their iniquity. Now, who 
can trace the history of the fulfillment of these great 
events, so exactly pointed out by Jeremiah, Isaiah, and 
Ezekiel, and not be struck with astonishment and wonder 
at the marvellous gift of prophecy enabling men in those 
days to read the history of the future as they read the his- 
tory of the past. Indeed, the reader of history in the nine- 
teenth century, holding in his hand the history of the 
Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Greeks, Romans and 
Egyptians, together with that of the Jews, will hardly 
render himself more familiar with the events which 
transpired among those nations, than the Prophets were 
seventy years previous to their accomplishment. 

The Jews were reduced to subjection by Nebuchad- 
nezzar; their city, Jerusalem, was burned, together with 
their temple; their princes, nobles, and people were 
carried to Babylon, together with all their holy things. 
All the particulars of this destruction and captivity were 
distinctly foretold by Jeremiah, and the time of its con- 
tinuance, viz., seventy years. After subduing the Jews, 
the king of Babylon marched his army against Tyre, the 
city of merchants, situated at the haven of the sea, 
surrounded not only by the sea, but py a strong wall. 
A hold so strong required the utmost skill and perse- 
verance of Nebuchadnezzar and his whole army, who 
labored incessantly for a long time, and at length suc- 
ceeded in taking Tyre, and bringing it into captivity 
for seventy years. After which they returned and 
established their city, for Jeremiah had previously fore- 
told the reduction of Tyre, its captivity of seventy years, 


16 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

and its restoration at the expiration of that time. After 
the restoration of Tyre, the city flourished fora time, but 
was afterwards reduced to an entire desolation. Its 
ruined fragments are seen to this day in the bottom of 
the sea ; its site has become a barren rock, only occupied 
by poor fishermen. All this desolation, and even its 
present appearance of desolate and perpetual waste, were 
clearly pointed out by the Prophets. 

But when the king of Babylon had succeeded in 
taking Tyre, after many a bald head and peeled shoul- 
der, caused by the hard service of his army in the siege, 
the Lord, by the mouth of Ezekiel, promised to give 
the spoils of Egypt unto him, for wages for his army, 
in order to pay him for the great service, wherewith he 
had served God, against Tyre. Next, witness his war in 
the taking of Egypt, and bringing it into captivity, 
until the seventy years were accomplished. 

And, finally, trace him executing the Lord’s ven- 
geance and anger against Uz, upon the kings of the Phil- 
istines, and Askelon, Azaah ; Ekrom, Edom, Moab, 
Ammon ; Dedan, Tema, and Buz ; and upon the kings 
of Arabia, Zimri and Elam ; and upon all the kings of 
the Medes ; and upon all the kings of the north, far and 
near ; and finally upon all the kingdoms of the world, 
who were to be drunken, and spew, and fall to rise 
no more, because of the sword which He would send 
among them. But, when the Lord had accomplished 
all his mind on these nations, He purposed, in turn, to 
punish this great monarch, and those who succeeded 
him; and also the city and nation over which he 
reigned; and finally to make it perpetual desolations. 
And all this for their pride and haughtiness. The Lord 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 17 


•exclaims: “ Shall the axe boast itself against him that 
heweth therewith, or shall the saw boast itself against 
him that shaketh it? ” &c. But, in order to trace the 
events of the return of the Jews, and the other nations, 
from their seventy years' captivity and bondage, and 
the punishment of Babylon, another and very different 
character from that of Nebuchadnezzar is introduced by 
the Prophets — one who is in Scripture termed the 
Lord’s anointed. He may be considered one of the most 
extraordinary characters that ever the heathen world 
produced : his mildness, courage, perseverance, suc- 
cess, and, above all, his strict obedience to the command 
of that God which neither he nor his fathers had known, 
all go to prove that Isaiah was not mistaken when he 
called him by name, as the Lord’s anointed, to deliver 
the nations from bondage, to scourge and subdue the 
greatest city and monarchy that have at any time ex- 
isted on the earth, and to restore the Jews, and rebuild 
their city and temple. Indeed, he was one of those few, 
whom the world never produces, except for extraordinary 
purposes. But let us hear the Prophet’s own description 
of him, Isaiah, chapter xlv: “Thussaith the Lord to 
his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I liaveholden 
to subdue nations before him : and I will loose the loins 
of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates, and 
the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and 
make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces 
the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron. 
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and 
hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know 
that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the 

God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel 

C 


18 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name : I have 
surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am 
the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside 
me : I girded thee, though thou hast not known me : that 
they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the 
west, that there is none beside me.” In the 13th verse, 
he says: “ I have raised him up in righteousness, and I 
will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he 
shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith 
the Lord of hosts.” The reader will bear in mind that 
Isaiah lived about one hundred years before the Jewish 
captivity, and one hundred and seventy years before 
Cyrus caused their return. 

Here I would pause and inquire, What power but 
the power of the great God, could enable one man to 
call another by name, a century before his birth, and 
also to foretell correctly the history of his life ? What 
must have been his wonder and astonishment, when, 
after many years of wars and commotions, during which 
he marched forth, conquering and to conquer, gathering 
as a nest the riches of the nations, he at last pitched his 
camp near the walls of the strongest hold in all the 
earth? He gazed upon its walls of upwards of three 
hundred feet in height, with its gates of brass and its bars 
of iron : the people within feeling perfectly safe, with 
provisions enough to last the inhabitants of the city for 
several years. How could he think of taking that city ? 
Who would not have shrunk from such an undertaking, 
unless inspired by the great Jehovah ? But, turning the 
river Euphrates from its course, and marching under 
the walls of the city, in the dried bed of the river, he 
found himself in possession of the city, without any diffi- 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 19 


culty ; for Belshazzar the king was drinking himself 
drunk, with his nobles and concubines, and that too 
from the vessels of the house of the Lord which his 
father had taken from Jerusalem, and his knees had 
already smote together, with horror, from the hand- 
writing on the wall which Daniel had just been called 
in to interpret, giving his kingdom to the Medes and 
Persians. Having subdued this great monarchy, he 
seated himself upon the throne of kingdoms; and be- 
coming familiar with Daniel, he was, no doubt, intro- 
duced to an acquaintance with the Jewish records, and 
then the mystery was unfolded : he could then see that 
God had called him by name, that the Almighty hand 
girded him for the battle, and directed all his work ; he 
could then understand why the treasures of the earth 
poured themselves into his bosom, and why the loins of 
kings had been unloosed before him, and why the gates 
of brass had been opened, and the bars of iron burst 
asunder. It was that he might know, that there was a 
God in Israel, and none else, and that all idols were as 
nothing ; that he might also restore the Jews, and re- 
build their city and temple, and fulfill God’s purposes 
upon Babylon. He accordingly issued his proclamation 
to the Jews to return, and for the nations to assist them 
in rebuilding, for, said he : “ God hath commanded me 
to build him an house at Jerusalem.” Ezra, chap. i. 2, 
3, says : “ Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God 
of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth: 
and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jeru- 
salem, which is in Judea. Who is there among you of 
all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up 
to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and build the house of 


20 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

the Lord God of Israel, he is the God which is in Jeru- 
salem.” 

What powerful argument, what mighty influence 
was it, which caused Cyrus to be convinced that it was 
the God of heaven who dwelt at Jerusalem, who alone 
was God, and who had done all these things ? He had 
not been traditioned in the belief of the true God, nor of 
the. holy Scriptures. Nay, he had ever been very zeal- 
ous in the worship of idols ; it was to idols he looked for 
assistance in the former part of his life. I reply, it was 
the power of God, made manifest by prophecy and its 
fulfillment; notin a spiritualized sense, not in some ob- 
scure, uncertain, or dark mysterious way, which was 
difficult to be understood ; but in positive, literal, plain 
demonstration, which none could gainsay or resist. 
Isaiah says that this was the object the Lord had in view 
when he revealed such plainness. And Cyrus manifest- 
ed that it had the desired effect. 

I would' here remark that when we come to treat of 
that part of prophecy which yet remains to be fulfilled, 
we shall bring proof positive that the heathen nations 
of the latter days are to be convinced in the same way 
that Cyrus was ; that is, there are certain events plainly 
predicted in the Prophets, yet future, which, when ful- 
filled, will convince all the heathen nations of the true 
God, and they shall know that He hath spoken and per- 
formed it. And all the great and learned men of Chris- 
tendom, and all societies, who put any other than a lit- 
eral construction on the word of prophecy, shall stand 
confounded, and be constrained to acknowledge that all 
has come to pass even as it is written. 

But to return to our research of prophecy and its fill- 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 21 


Ailment. The Prophets had not only predicted the re- 
duction of Babylon by Cyrus, but they had denounced 
its fate through all ages, until reduced to entire desola- 
tion, never to be inhabited, not even as a temporary res- 
idence for the wandering Arab : L( And the Arabian shall 
not pitch tent there.” See Isaiah xiii. 19—22. 

Mr. Joseph Wolfe, the celebrated Jewish Missionary, 
while traveling in Chaldea, inquired of the Arabs 
whether they pitched their tents among the ruins of 
Babylon, to which they replied in the negative, declaring 
their fears, that, should they do so, Nimrod’s ghost 
would haunt them. Thus all the predictions of the Pro- 
phets concerning that mighty city have been fiilAlled. 

Edom also presents a striking fulAllment of plain 
and pointed predictions in the Prophets. These predic- 
tions were pronounced upon Edom at a time when its 
soil was very productive and well cultivated, and every- 
where abounding in Aourishing towns and cities. But 
now its cities have become heaps of desolate ruins, only 
inhabited by th*e cormorant, bittern, and by wild beasts, 
serpents, &c., and its soil has become barren ; the Lord 
has cast upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of 
emptiness, and it has been w r aste from generation to 
generation, in express fulAllment of the word of pro- 
phecy. 

We will now give a passing notice of the vision of 
Daniel, recorded in the 8th chapter of his prophecies, 
concerning the ram and the goat. The reader would do- 
well to turn and read the w^hole chapter ; but we will 
more particularly notice the interpretation, as it was 
given him by Gabriel, recorded from the 19th to the 25th 
verses. And he said : “I will make thee know what 


22 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

shall be in the last end of the indignation, for at the 
time appointed the end shall be. The ram which thou 
sawest having two horns, are the kings of Media and 
Persia; and the rough goat is the king of Grecia; and 
the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 
Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, 
four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not 
in his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, 
when the transgressors are come to the full, a king 
of fierce countenance, and understanding dark senten- 
ces, shall stand up ; and his power shall be mighty, but 
not by his own power, and he shall destroy wonderfully, 
and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the 
mighty and the holy people; and through his policy also 
he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he shall 
magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy 
many ; he shall also stand up against the Prince of 
princes ; but he shall be broken without hand.” In this 
vision we have first presented the Medes and Persians, 
as they were to exist until they were conquered by 
Alexander the Great. Now, it is a fact well known that 
this empire waxed exceedingly great for some time after 
the death of Daniel, pushing its conquests westward, 
northward, and southward, so that none could stand be- 
fore it; until Alexander, the king of Grecia, came from 
the west, with a small army of chosen men, and 
attacked the Persians upon the banks of the river, and 
plunging his horse in, and his army following, they 
crossed, and attacked the Persians, who stood to oppose 
them on the bank, with many times their number ; but, 
notwithstanding their number, and their advantage of 
the ground, they were totally routed, and the Grecians 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 23 

proceeded toover-run and subdue the country, beating 
the Persians in a number of pitched battles, until they 
were entirely subdued. It is also well known that 
Alexander, the king of Greece, went forth from nation 
to nation, subduing the world before him, until, having 
conquered the world, he died at Babylon, at the age of 
ihirty-two years. And thus, when he had waxed strong, 
he great horn was broken, and for it came up four not- 
able ones toward the four winds of heaven. His king- 
dom was divided among four of his generals, who never 
attained unto his power. Now, in the latter time of their 
kingdom, when the transgression of the Jewish nation 
was come to the full, the Roman power destroyed the Jew- 
ish nation, took Jerusalem, caused the daily sacrifice to 
cease; and not only that, but afterwards destroyed the 
mighty and holy people, that is, the Apostles and prim- 
itive Christians, who were slain by the authorities of 
Rome. 

Now, let me inquire, Does the history of these 
United States give a plainer account of past events than 
Daniel’s wisdom did of events which were then future, 
and some of them reaching down the stream of time for 
several hundred years, unfolding events which no 
human sagacity could possibly have foreseen ? Man, by 
his own sagacity, may accomplish many things; he 
may plough the trackless ocean without wind or tide in 
his favor; he may soar aloft amid the clouds without 
the aid of wings; he may traverse the land with as-* 
sonishing velocity without the aid of beasts; or he may 
convey his thoughts to his fellow by the aid of letters. 
But there is a principle which he can never attain 
to; no, not even by the wisdom of ages combined ; money 


24 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

will not purchase it; it comes from God only, and is be- 
stowed upon man as a free gift. Says the Prophet to 
the idols, “ Tell us what shall be, that we may know that 
ye are gods .' 1 

We will now proceed to show how exactly the 
prophecies were fulfilled literally in the person of Jesus 
Christ. “Behold,” said the Prophet, “ a virgin shall 
conceive and bear a son.” Again, Bethlehem should be 
the place of his birth, and Egypt, where he sojourned 
with his parents, the place out of which he was to 
be called. He turned aside to Nazareth, for it was 
written, f ‘ He shall be called a Nazarene.” He rode 
into Jerusalem upon a colt, the foal of an ass, because 
the Prophet had said, “ Behold thy King cometh, meek 
and lowly, riding upon a colt,” &c. And again , saith the 
Prophet : “ He shall be afflicted and despised ; he shall 
be a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief ; he shall 
be led as a lamb to the slaughter, and, like a sheep 
dumb before his shearers, so he opened not his mouth; 
in his humiliation his judgment was taken away ; anti 
who shall declare his generation, for his life is taken 
from the earth. He was wounded for our transgress- 
ions, and by his stripes we are healed ; he was num- 
bered with the transgressors; he made his grave with, 
the rich.” Not a bone of him is broken; they divide 
his raiment; cast lots for his vesture; give him gall 
and vinegar to drink ; betray him for thirty pieces of 
silver; and finally, when it was finished, he rested in 
the tomb until the third day, and then rose trium- 
phant, without seeing corruption. Now, kind reader, 
had you walked up and down with our dear Redeemer 
during his whole sojourn in the flesh, and had j ou 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 25 


taken pains to record the particular circumstances of his 
life and death, as they occurred from time to time, your 
history would not be a plainer one than the Prophets 
gave of him hundreds of years before he was born. 
There is one thing we would do well to notice con- 
cerning the manner in which the Apostles interpreted 
prophecy, and that is this — they simply quoted it, and 
recorded its literal fulfillment. By pursuing this course, 
they were enabled to bring it home to the hearts of the 
people in the Jewish synagogues, with such convincing 
proof that they were constrained to believe the supposed 
impostor whom they had crucified was the Messiah. But 
had they once dreamed of rendering a spiritualizing or 
uncertain application, like the teachers of the present 
day, all would have been uncertainty and doubt, and 
demonstration would have vanished from the earth. 

Having taken a view of the Old Testament Prophets, 
concerning prophecy and its fulfillment, and having 
shown clearly, that nothing but a literal fulfillment was 
intended, the objector may inquire whether the same 
mode will apply to the predictions contained in the New 
Testament. We will therefore bring a few important in- 
stances of prophecy, and its fulfillment, from the New 
Testament ; after which we shall be prepared to enter 
the vast field which is still future. One of the most re- 
markable prophecies in sacred writ is recorded by Luke, 
chap. xxi. 20—24: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem 
compassed with armies, then know that the desolation 
thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee 
to the mountains, and let them which are in the midst 
of it depart out ; and let not them that are in the coun- 
tries enter thereinto ; for these be the days of vengeance, 


26 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 

that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But 
woe unto them that are with child, and to them that 
give suck in those days ; for there shall be great distress 
in the land, and wrath upon this people; and they shall 
fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away cap- 
tive into all nations ; and Jerusalem shall be trodden 
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be 
fulfilled.” This prophecy involves the fate of Jerusa- 
lem and the temple, and the whole Jewish nation, for 
at least eighteen hundred years. About the year 
seventy, the Roman army compassed Jerusalem. The 
disciples remembered the warning which had been given 
them by their Lord and Master forty years before, and 
fled to the mountains. The city of Jerusalem was taken, 
after a long and tedious siege, in which the Jews suffer- 
ed the extreme of famine, pestilence and the sword ; 
filling houses with the dead, for want of a place to bury 
them, while women ate their own children, for want of 
all things. In this struggle there perished, in Judea, 
near one million and a half of Jews, besides those taken 
captive. Their country was laid waste, their city burned, 
their temple destroyed, and the miserable remnant dis- 
persed abroad into all the nations of the earth ; in which 
situation they have continued ever since, being driven 
from one nation to another, often falsely accused of the 
worst of crimes, for which they have been banished and 
their goods confiscated. Indeed, they have been mostly 
accounted as outlaws among the various nations; the 
soles of their feet have found no rest, and they have been 
a hiss and a by- word ; and the people have said, “ These 
are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his 
land.” 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 27 


During all this time the Gentiles have possessed the 
land of Canaan, and trodden under foot the holy city 
where their forefathers worshipped the Lord. Now, in 
this long captivity, the Jews have never lost sight of 
the promises respecting their return. Their eyes have 
watched and failed with longing for the day, when they 
might possess again that blessed inheritance bequeathed 
to their forefathers ; when they might again rear their 
city and temple, and re-establish their priesthood, and 
worship as in days of old. Indeed they have made sev- 
eral attempts to return, but were always frustrated in all 
their attempts ; for it was an unalterable decree, that Je- 
rusalem should be trodden down of the Gentiles, until 
the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled. On the 
subject of this long dispersion, Moses and the Prophets 
have written very plainly; indeed, Moses even men- 
tioned the particulars of their eating their children se- 
cretly in the siege, and in the straitness wherewith 
their enemies should besiege them in all their gates. 
Whoever will read the 28th of Deuteronomy, will read 
the history of what has befallen the Jews, foretold by 
Moses with all the clearness that characterizes the his- 
tory of past events, and all this thousands of years be- 
fore its accomplishment. 

Our next is found in Acts xxi. 10, 11, where a Pro- 
phet named Agabus took Paul’s girdle and bound his 
own hands and feet, and said: “Thus saith the Holy 
Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that 
owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands 
of the Gentiles.” The fulfillment of this prediction is 
too well known to need any description. We therefore 
proceed to notice a prophecy of Paul, recorded in 2 Tim. 


28 PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 


iv. 3, 4 : “ For the time will come, when they will not 
endure sound doctrine, but, after their own lusts, shall 
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears ; 
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and 
shall be turned unto fables. ,, This prophecy has been 
fulfilled to the very letter; for it applies to every relig- 
ious teacher who has arisen from that day unto t'he pres- 
ent, except those commissioned by direct revelation and 
inspired by the Holy Ghost. But, to convince the reader 
of its full accomplishment, we need only point to the 
numberless priests of the day who preach for hire, and 
divine for money, and who receive their authorily from 
their fellow man ; and, as to the fables to which they 
are turned, we need only to mention the spiritualizings 
and private interpretations which salute our ears from 
almost every religious press and pulpit. 

But there is another prophecy of Paul well worth 
our attention, as illustrative of the times in which we 
live ; it is found in the first five verses of the third chap- 
ter of 2nd Timothy : “This know also, that in the last 
days perilous times shall come ; for men shall be lovers 
of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphem- 
ers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without 
natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, inconti- 
nent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, 
heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers 
of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the 
power thereof : from such turn away.” From the last 
verse of this quotation we learn to our astonishment that 
this sum of awful wickedness applies to professors of re- 
ligion only ; that is, this would be the character of the 
(so-called) Christian part of the community in the last 


PROPHECY ALREADY FULFILLED. 29 


days. Do not startle, kind reader, we do not make the 
application without proof positive to the point, for, re- 
member, non-professors have no form of godliness , but 
those ungodly characters spoken of, were to have a form 
of godliness , denying the power thereof. But, if you 
doubt Paul’s testimony on the subject, look around you, 
examine for yourselves. “ By their fruits ye shall know 
them.” My heart is pained while I write. Alas, has it 
come to this ; has the spirit of truth removed the veil of 
obscurity from the last days, only to present us with the 
vision of a fallen people; an apostate church, full of all 
manner of abominations, and even despising those who 
are good ; while they themselves have nothing left but 
the form of godliness, denying the power of God ; that 
is, setting aside the direct inspiration and supernatural 
gifts of the Spirit, which ever characterize the Church 
of Christ? Was it for this only that the Holy Spirit 
opened to the view of holy men the events of unborn 
time, enabling them to gaze upon the opening glories of 
the latter days ? Oh ! ye Prophets and Apostles, ye holy 
men of old, what have you done, if you stop here? if 
your prophetic vision only extended down the stream of 
time to the present year? Alas! you have filled our 
minds with sorrow and despair : the Jews you have left 
wandering in sorrow and darkness, far from all their 
hearts hold most dear on earth ; their land a desolation, 
and their city and temple in ruins, and they without 
the knowledge of the true Messiah. The Gentiles, after 
partaking of the root and fatness of the tame olive-tree, 
having fallen, after the same example of unbelief, are 
left without fruit, dead, plucked up by the roots, with 
nought but a form of godliness ; while the powers that 


30 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


characterized the ancient church have fled from among 
men. Is this the consummation of all your labors? 
Was it for this you searched, toiled, bled, and died? I 
pause for a reply : if you have a word of comfort yet in 
store, concerning the future, let it quickly speak, lest our 
souls should linger in the dark valley of sorrow and 
despair. 


CHAPTER II. 

ON THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 

What is Prophecy but History reversed ? 

Having made the discovery and produced sufficient 
proof that the prophecies, thus far, have been liter- 
ally fulfilled — to the very letter, we hope the reader 
will never lose sight of the same rule with regard to 
those yet future. And, while we stand upon the thresh- 
old of futurity, with the wonders of unborn time about 
to open upon our view, presenting before our astonished 
vision the most mighty and majestic scenes, the most 
astonishing revolutions, the most extraordinary destruc- 
tions, as well as the most miraculous displays of the 
power and majesty of Jehovah, in His great restoration 
of His long dispersed covenant people from the four 
quarters of the earth : I say, as these scenes are about to 
open to our view, let us bow before the great I AM, in 
the name of Jesus, and pray in faith for His Spirit to en- 
large our hearts and enlighten our minds, that we may 
understand and believe all that is written, however mir- 
aculous it may be. But, O! kind reader, whoever you 
are, if you are not prepared for persecution, if you are 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


31 


unprepared to have your name cast out as evil, if you 
cannot bear to be called a knave, an impostor, or mad- 
man, or one that hath a devil ; or if you are bound by 
the creeds of men to believe just so much and no more, 
you had better stop here ; for if you were to believe the 
things written in the Bible that are yet to come, you 
will be under the necessity of believing miracles, signs 
and wonders, revelations, and manifestations of the 
power of God, even beyond any thing that any former 
generation has witnessed ; yes, you will believe that the 
waters will be divided and Israel go through dry-shod, 
as they journey to their own land, as they did in the 
days of Moses; for no man ever yet believed the Bible, 
without believing and expecting such glorious events in 
the latter days. And I will now venture to say that a 
believer in the Bible would be something that very few 
men have ever seen in this generation, with all its 
boasted religion : for there is a great difference between 
believing the book to be true when shut, and believing 
the things therein written. It is now considered in 
Christendom a great disgrace not to believe the Bible 
when shut : but whosoever tries the experiment will find 
it a greater disgrace to believe that the things therein 
written will surely come to pass. Indeed, it is our firm, 
belief in the things written in the Bible, and careful 
teaching of them, that is one great cause of the persecu- 
tion we suffer. For let the prophecies be understood by 
the people, and let them roll on in their fulfillment, and 
this will blow to the four winds every religious craft in 
Christendom, and cause the kingdom of Christ to arise 
upon their ruins, while the actual knowledge of the truth 
will cover the earth as the waters do the sea. 


32 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


Having said so much by way of caution, if there are 
any of my readers so bold, and regardless of conse- 
quences, as to dare with me to gaze upon the future, we 
will commence with Isaiah, chap. xi. 11, 12, 15, and 16 
verses : “ And it shall come to pass in that day, that the 
Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover 
the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from 
Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from 
Cash, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from 
Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 

“ And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and 
shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together 
the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the 
earth. 

“And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of 
the Egyptian sea ; and with his mighty wind shall he 
shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the 
seven streams, and make men go over dry-shod. 

“ And there shall be an highway for the remnant of 
his people, which shall be left from Assyria; like as it 
was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land 
of Egypt.” 

Here you behold an ensign to be reared for the na- 
tions ; not only for the dispersed of Judah, but the out- 
casts of Israel. The Jews are called dispersed, because 
they are scattered among the nations ; but the ten tribes 
are called outcasts, because they are cast out from the 
knowledge of the nations, into a land by themselves. 
Now, the reader will bear in mind, that the ten tribes 
have not dwelt in the land of Canaan since they were 
led captive by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria. We have 
also presented before us, in the 15th verse, the marvel- 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


33 


lous power of God, which will be displayed in the de- 
struction of a small branch of the Red sea, called the 
tongue of the Egyptian sea; and also the dividing of the 
seven streams of some river, and causing men to go over 
dry-shod; and, lest any should not understand it liter- 
ally , the 16th verse says : “There shall be a highway for 
the remnant of his people, which shall be left from 
Assyria, like as it was to Israel when he came up out of 
the land of Egypt” Now, we have only to ask wheth- 
er, in the days of Moses, the Red sea was literally divid- 
ed? or whether it was only a figure? for as it was then 
so it shall be again. And yet we are told by modern 
divines that the days of miracles have gone forever; and 
those who believe in miracles, in our day, are counted 
as impostors, or, at least, poor ignorant fanatics, and the 
public are warned against them, as false teachers who 
would, if possible, deceive the very elect. On the sub- 
ect of this restoration the Prophets have spoken so fully 
and repeatedly, that we can only notice a few of the 
most striking instances, which will go to show the parti- 
cular circumstances and incidents attending it, and the 
manner and means of its accomplishment. The 16th 
chapter of Jeremiah, 14th, 15th, and 16th verses, says: 
“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that 
it shall no more be said, the Lord liveth that brought up 
the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt ; but, the 
Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from 
the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he 
had driven them: and I will bring them again into 
their land that I gave unto their fathers. Behold, I will 
send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish 

them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they 

D 


34 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every 
hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.’ ’ Now it has ever 
been the case with Israel, when they wished to express 
the greatness of their God, to say, The Lord liveth. which 
brought up our fathers out of the land of Egypt. This 
saying at once called to mind the power and miracles of 
that memorable event, and associated with it all that was 
great and grand, and was, calculated to strike the mind 
with awe, under a lively sense of the power of Israel’s 
God. But, to our astonishment ! something is yet to trans- 
pire which will cast into momentary forgetfulness all 
the great events of that day, and the children of Israel 
shall know that their God liveth, by casting their minds 
upon events of recent date, which shall have tran- 
spired, still more glorious and wonderful than their com- 
ing out of Egypt. They will exclaim, The Lord liveth, 
which recently brought the children of Israel from the 
north, and from all lands whither he had driven them, 
and hath planted them in the land of Canaan which he 
gave our fathers. With this idea will be associated 
every display of grandeur and sublimity, of wonder and 
amazement; while they call to mind the revelations, 
manifestations, miracles, and mercies displayed in bring- 
ing about this great event, in the eyes of all the nations. 

In view of this, Jeremiah exclaims in the last verse 
of this chapter: <c Therefore, behold, I will this once 
cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine 
hand and my might; and they shall know that my 
name is the Lord.” 

But the means made use of to bring about this glo- 
rious event are, not only the raising of a standard, the 
lifting up of an ensign, so that we may know when the 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


35 


time is fulfilled, but fishers and hunters are to be em- 
ployed to fish and hunt them from every mountain, from 
every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. Let the 
reader mark here : men were not to send missionaries, 
who were not inspired, to go and teach Israel several 
hundred different doctrines, and opinions of men, and 
to tell them they supposed the time had about arrived 
for them to gather. But the God of Heaven is to call 
men by actual revelation, direct from Heaven, and to tell 
them who Israel is; who the Indians of America are, if 
they should be of Israel ; and also where the ten tribes 
are, and all the scattered remnants of that long lost peo- 
ple. He it is who is to give them their errand and mis- 
sion, and to clothe them with power from on high to 
execute the great work, in defiance of opposing ele- 
ments, and all the opp.osition of earth and hell com- 
bined. But do you ask : “ Why is the Lord to commis- 
sion men by actual revelation ? ” I reply, because he 
has no other way of sending men in any age. No man, 
says the Apostle, taketh this honor upon himself, but he 
that is called of God, as was Aaron. Now, we all ac- 
knowledge that Aaron was called by revelation. 

Now the great Jehovah never did, nor never will, 
acknowledge the priesthood or ministry of any man 
who is not called by revelation, and inspired, as in days 
of old. But, “ O ! ” says the reader, “ you startle me, for 
the whole train of modern divines profess no revelation 
later than the Bible, and no direct inspiration or super- 
natural gift of the spirit. Do you cast them all off*, and 
say that they have no authority ? ” I reply, no, for the 
Bible does it, and I only humbly acquiesce in the deci- 
sion, as they are nowhere known in Scripture, except as 


36 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


teachers whom the people have heaped to themselves, 
(the word heap does not mean a few, but many). But, 
to prove more fully that God will give revelations ih or- 
der to bring about this glorious work, we will refer you 
to Ezekiel xx. 33—38. It reads: °As I live, saith the 
Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a 
stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule 
over you ; and I will bring you out from the people, and 
will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scat- 
tered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out 
arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you 
into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead 
with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your 
fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I 
plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause 
you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the 
bond of the covenant ; and I will purge out from among 
you the rebels, and them that transgress against me ; I 
will bring them forth out of the country where they 
sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel ; 
and ye shall know that I am the Lord.” 

You discover that this promise begins with a double 
assurance: first, with an oath, as I live; second, with 
an assurance, surely , with a mighty hand , etc. And, in 
the close of the same chapter, lest the people should 
possibly misunderstand him he exclaims: “O Lord, 
they say of me, doth he not speak in parables ! Here 
we have the children of Israel brought from among all 
nations, with a mighty hand and a stretched out arm, 
and with fury poured out, ( O ye nations who oppose 
these things, beware, remember Pharaoh, and learn 
wisdom,) we see them brought into the wilderness of 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


37 


the people ; and there the Lord is to plead with them, 
face to face, just as he did with their fathers in the wil- 
derness of Egypt. This pleading face to face can never 
be done, without revelation, and a personal manifesta- 
tion, as much so as in old times. Now I ask, were all 
His manifestations to Israel in the wilderness mere fables 
not to be understood literally ? If so, this will be so too ; 
for one will be precisely like the other, no parable, but a 
glorious reality. He will cause them to pass under the 
rod, and bring them into the bond of the covenant. 
This brings to mind the new covenant so often promised 
in the Scriptures, to be made with the house of Israel 
and with the house of Judah, just in time to gather 
them from their long dispersion. Some may suppose 
that the new covenant which was to gather Israel, made 
its appearance in the days of Christ and his Apostles. 
But Paul tells us it was yet future in his day. So in his 
11th chapter to the Homans, he says, “ that blindness in 
part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gen- 
tiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved ; as it is 
written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and 
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my 
covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” 
From this we learn that Paul placed that covenant in 
the future, even down to the restoration of Israel, in the 
last days, when the times of the Gentiles should be ful- 
filled. Then there should come a Deliverer for Israel, 
and not before, seeing that they had rejected the first 
coming of that Deliverer. And he himself said to the 
Jews: “Behold, yoUr house is left unto you desolate; 
for I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth till ye 
shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 


38 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


Lord.” Then, and not until then, should the covenant 
be renewed with Israel. And even when the Apostles 
inquired, saying : “ Wilt thou at this time restore again 
the kingdom to Israel?” the Savior made answer, that 
it was not for them to know the times and seasons which 
the Father had put in his own power ; but they were to 
receive power, and bear witness of him, &c. ; as much 
as to say, that work is not for you Apostles to accom- 
plish, but shall be done in the Lord’s own time, by 
whom He will ; but go ye and do the work I have com- 
manded you. 

Again, Isaiah lxi. 8, 9, in speaking of this covenant, 
tells us, that it should make their seed known among 
the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people ; and 
should cause all that see them to acknowledge them that 
they are the seed that the Lord hath blessed. Now, we 
know that it is a question which can only be decided by 
Revelation, whether the aborigines of America are the 
seed of Jacob or not. Again, it is a matter of uncertainty 
where the ten tribes are, or who they are ; but the new 
covenant, whenever it makes its appearance, will reveal 
these things, and will leave the matter no longer in sus- 
pense ; we shall then know their seed among the Gen- 
tiles, and their offspring among the people. But, oh ! 
how different was the effect of the covenant made eigh- 
teen hundred years ago in its effects upon Israel ; it cast 
them off in unbelief, and caused all that have seen them 
or heard of them ever since to acknowledge that they 
are the seed that the Lord hath cursed. When the cov- 
enant is renewed in the last days, the Lord will bring 
them into the bond of the covenant, by manifesting 
Himself to them face to face. Let me inquire, How does 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


39 


God make a covenant with the people in any age? The 
answer is, By communicating His will to them by ac- 
tual revelation ; for, without this, it would be impossible 
to make a covenant between two parties. In order to 
illustrate this subject, let us bring an example. We see 
how we make covenants with each other. For instance, 
a young man wishes to enter into a covenant of matri- 
mony with a young lady ; but deprive him of the privi- 
lege of revealing his mind to her, cutoff all direct com- 
munication between them, and a covenant could never 
be made ; and so it is with the Almighty. He never did 
enter into a covenant with His creatures, without reve- 
lations ; and He never can do it. In short, whenever He 
made a covenant with the people, where a whole people 
were concerned, He included in the covenant the priest- 
hood, offices, and authorities, together with the ordi- 
nances and blessings which pertain to his covenant ; and 
so will He do at this time. Whenever the new covenant 
is established, it will organize the kingdom of God with 
all its offices, ordinances, gifts, and blessings as in the 
days of old ; but more of this when we come to treat of 
the kingdom of God. 

“ But, ” says the inquirer, “what need have we of 
the renewal of a covenant which has never been broken? 
If the Lord made a covenant in the days of the Apostles, 
called a new covenant, why should that covenant still 
be renewed again, seeing it is in full force, until it is 
broken by one party or the other?" This is an import- 
ant inquiry, involving the fate of all Christendom in its 
decision ; we must therefore be very careful to make the 
decision perfectly plain, and the proof easy to be under- 
stood. That there was a covenant made between God 


v 


40 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


and the people in the days of Christ and his Apostles, 
none will attempt to deny, and if that covenant never 
has been broken, it must be of force to the present day, 
and consequently there is no need of a new one. It 
therefore remains for us to prove that that covenant has 
been broken, completely broken, so that it is not in 
force, either among Jews or Gentiles, having lost its 
offices, authorities, powers, and blessings, insomuch that 
they are no where to be found among men. In order to 
do this, we must examine what were its offices, authori- 
ties, powers, and blessings, and then see whether they 
are still known among men. 

We read that its officers consisted of Apostles, Pro- 
phets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers, all inspired, 
and set in the Church, by the Lord himself, for the 
edifying of the saints, for the work of the ministry, etc. 
And they were to continue in the Church, wherever it 
was found, until they all came to the unity of the faith, 
and unto the measure of the stature of a man in Christ. 

Secondly, the gifts of the Spirit, which some call 
supernatural, were the powers and blessings which per- 
tained to that covenant, wherever it existed, among the 
Jews or the Gentiles, so long as the covenant was of 
force. Now, I would ask the world of Christendom, or 
either of its sects or parties, if they have Apostles, Pro- 
phets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers inspired from 
on high, together with all the gifts and blessings of the 
Holy Spirit, which pertained to the Gospel covenant? 
If not, then the offices and powers of that covenant have 
been lost. And it must be through the breaking of that 
covenant that they were lost, for in this way the Jews 
lost these privileges, when they were handed to the Gen- 





PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 41 

tiles. And Paul told the Gentiles, in his 11th chapter 
to the Romans, that if they did not abide in the good- 
ness of God, they would fall, as the Jews had done 
before them. But in order to prove, by further demon- 
stration, that the Gospel covenant has been broken, by 
Jew and Gentile, and all people, so as to be no longer in 
force, I shall quote Isaiah xxiv. 1—6: “ Behold, the Lord 
maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turn- 
eth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabit- 
ants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so 
with the priest ; as with the servant, so with his master ; 
as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the 
buyer, so with the seller ; as with the lender, so with 
the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with 
the giver of usury to him. The land shall be ut- 
terly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath 
spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth 
away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the 
haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth 
also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because 
THEY HAVE TRANSGRESSED THE LAWS, CHANGED THE 
ORDINANCE, BROKEN THE EVERLASTING COVENANT. 
Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they 
that dwell therein are desolate : therefore the inhabit- 
ants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” In 
these few verses, we discover a like calamity awaiting 
priests and people, rich and poor, bond and free, inso- 
much that they are all to be burned up but a few ; and 
the complaint is that the earth is defiled under the in- 
habitants thereof, because they have transgressed the 
laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlast- 
ing covenant. Now this could not be speaking of any 


42 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


other than the covenant, ordinance, and laws of the 
Gospel, made with the people in the days of the Apos- 
tles; because, however any former covenant may have 
been broken, yet the inhabitants of the earth have never 
been destroyed by fire, all but a few, for having broken 
any previous covenant. But this destruction is to come 
by fire, as literally as the flood in the days of Noah ; 
and it will consume both priests and people from the 
earth, and that, too, for having broken the covenant of 
the Gospel, with its laws and its ordinances ; or else we 
must get a new edition of the Bible, leaving out the 24th 
of Isaiah. 

Now, having settled this question, I trust the reader 
will see the need of a new covenant, in order to save the 
few that are not to be burned. We will therefore drop 
this subject for the present, and turn again to the subject 
of the gathering of Israel. You will please turn and 
read the 36th, 37th, 38tli, and 39th chapters of Ezekiel. 
In the 36th chapter you will discover a promise that 
Israel is to return from all the nations whither they have 
been scattered, and to be brought again to the land which 
God gave to their fathers ; Jerusalem is to be filled with 
flocks of men, and all the desolate cities of Judea are 
to be rebuilt, fenced and inhabited ; the land is to be 
fenced, tilled and sown, insomuch that they shall say : 

This land that was desolate is become like the garden 
of Eden.” “ I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it ; 
and the heathen shall know that I the Lord build the 
ruined places, and plant that that was desolate.” “So 
shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men, and 
they shall'know that I am the Lord.” In the 37th chap- 
ter you will find, after the vision of the resurrection of 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


43 


the dead, the Prophet goes on to speak of the two nations 
becoming one nation upon the mountains of Israel, and 
one king being king to them all ; and when this takes 
place, they are no more to be divided into two kingdoms. 
Moreover, the Lord’s tabernacle is to be with them, and 
His sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. He 
will forever be their God, and they shall be His people. 
“And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do 
sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst 
of them forevermore/’ Now, it is a fact well known, 
that Judah and the ten tribes have never been one na- 
tion, upon the mountains of Israel, since the day they 
were first divided into two nations. 

But, when this does take place, even the very hea- 
then are to know it, and are to be convinced of the 
true God, as was Cyrus. Now if the missionaries should 
convert the world, before the Lord does this great work, 
then it will save the Lord the trouble of doing it 
in His own way, and it will save the trouble of ful- 
filling the Prophets, and the word of the Lord will 
fail, and all the world lay hold of infidelity. Well 
did the Lord say : “ My ways are not as your ways, 
nor my thoughts as your thoughts.” Chapters xxxviii 
and xxxix present us with a view of many nations 
united under one great head, whom the Lord is pleased 
to call Gog; and being mounted on horseback, and 
armed with all sorts of armor, they come up against 
the mountains of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land ; 
their object is to take a prey, to take away silver and 
gold, and cattle, and goods in great abundance. 

This is an event which is to transpire after the 
return of the Jews, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem ; 


44 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


while the towns and the land of Judea are without 
walls, having neither bars nor gates. But while they 
are at the point to swallow up the Jews, and lay 
waste their country, behold the Lord’s fury comes up in 
his face, a mighty earthquake is the result, insomuch 
that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and 
all the creeping things, and all men upon the face of 
the earth, shall shake at His presence, and every wall 
shall fall to the ground, and every man’s sword shall be 
turned against his neighbor in this army, and the Lord 
shall rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the 
many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, 
great hailstones, fire and brimstone. And thus He will 
magnify Himself, and sanctify Himself, in the eyes of 
many nations, and they shall know that He is the Lord ; 
thus they shall fall upon the open field, upon the moun- 
tains of Israel, even Gog and all his army, horses and 
horsemen ; and the Jews shall go forth and gather the 
weapons of war, such as handstaves, spears, shields, 
bows and arrows ; and these weapons shall last the cities 
of Israel seven years for fuel, so that they shall cut no 
wood out of the forest, for they shall burn the weapons 
with the fire ; and they shall spoil those that spoiled 
them, and rob those that robbed them, and they shall 
gather gold and silver, and apparel, in great abundance 
At this time the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field 
shall have a great feast ; yea, they are to eat fat until they 
be full, and drink blood until they be drunken. They 
are to eat the flesh of captains, and kings, and mighty 
men, and all men of war. But the Jews will have a very 
serious duty to perform, which will take no less than 
seven months ; namely, the burying of their enemies. 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


45 


They will select a place on the east side of the sea, called 
the Valley of the Passengers, and there shall they bury 
Gog and all his multitude, and they shall call it the 
Valley of Hamon Gog. And the scent shall go forth, 
insomuch that it shall stop the noses of the passengers ; 
thus shall they cleanse the land. “And I will set my 
glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see 
my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I 
have laid upon them : so the house of Israel shall know 
that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. 
And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel 
went into captivity for their iniquity ; because they tres- 
passed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, 
and gave them into the hand of their enemies ; so fell 
they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness, 
and according to their transgressions, have I done unto 
them, and hid myself from them. Therefore thus saith 
the Lord God, Now will I bring again the captivity of 
Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, 
and will be jealous for my holy name : after that they 
have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby 
they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely 
in their own land, and none made them afraid. When 
I have brought them again from the people, and gather- 
ed them out of their enemy’s lands, and am sanctified in 
them in the sight of many nations; then shall they 
know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them 
to be led into captivity among the heathen ; but I have 
gathered them into their own land, and have left none 
of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face 
any more from them : for I have poured out my Spirit 
upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” 


46 prophecy yet future. 

In the foregoing, we discover that the heathen are 
to know that the house of Israel went into captivity for 
their iniquity, and are gathered again by the hand of 
God, after having borne their shame for all their tres- 
passes : and the house of Israel will know that it 
was the Lord their God, who caused them to be led into 
captivity among the heathen, and that He it was that 
gathered and defended them, and He will hide His face 
no more from them, but will pour out His Spirit upon 
them. 

O ! ye blind, ye stiff-necked, ye hard-hearted genera- 
tion, with the Bible circulated among all nations, will 
whole nations be so blind as to fulfill this prophecy, and 
not know it until it brings destruction upon their own 
heads. Why all this blindness ? Alas ! it is because of 
false teachers, who will tell them the Bible must be 
spiritualized. Others declare that these prophecies can 
never be understood until they are fulfilled. If this be 
the case, then we can never escape the judgments pre- 
dicted in them, but must continue the children of dark- 
ness, until they come upon us unawares and sweep us 
from the earth. Then, where will be the consolation of 
looking back and seeing them fulfilled ? But blessed be 
God, He has told us by the mouth of Daniel that many 
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased, 
and that the wise shall understand, but none of the 
wicked shall understand. And now, I would ask, who 
are more wicked than the wilfully blind leaders of the 
blind, who tell us we cannot understand the Scriptures? 

Zachariah, in his 14th chapter, has told us much 
concerning the great battle and overthrow of the nations 
who fight against Jerusalem; and he has said, in plain 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


47 


words, that the Lord shall come at the very time of the 
overthrow of that army ; yes, in fact, even while they 
are in the act of taking Jerusalem, and have already suc- 
ceeded in taking one-half the city, and spoiling their 
houses, and ravishiug their women. Then, behold their 
long-expected Messiah, suddenly appearing, shall stand 
upon the Mount of Olives, a little east of Jerusalem, to 
fight against those nations and deliver the Jews. Zach- 
ariah says, the Mount of Olives shall cleave in twain, 
from east to west, and one^half of the mountain shall 
remove to the north, while the other half falls off* to 
the south, suddenly forming a very great valley, into 
which the Jews shall flee for protection from their ene- 
mies, as they fled from the earthquake in the days of 
Uzziah, king of Judah; while the Lord cometh and all 
the saints with him. Then will the Jews behold that 
long, long expected Messiah, coming in power to their 
deliverance, as they always looked for him. He will 
destroy their enemies, and deliver them from trouble at 
the very time they are in the utmost consternation, and 
about to be swallowed up by their enemies. But what 
will be their astonishment, when they are about to fall 
at the feet of their Deliverer, and acknowledge him 
their Messiah ! They discover the wounds which were 
once made in his hands, feet, and side ; and, on inquiry, 
at once recognize Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the 
Jews, the man so long rejected. Well did the Prophet 
say, they should mourn and weep, every family apart, 
and their wives apart. But thank Heaven, there will 
be an end to their mourning ; for he will forgive their in- 
iquities, and cleanse them from all uncleanness. Jerusa- 
lem shall be a holy city from that time forth, and all the 


48 PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 

land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon, 
and she shall be lifted up and inhabited in her place, 
and men shall dwell there, and there shall be no more 
utter destruction of Jerusalem; “.and in that day there 
shall be one Lord, and his name one, and he shall be 
King over all the earth.” 

John, in his 11th chapter of Revelations, gives us 
many more particulars concerning this same event. He 
informs us, that, after the city and temple are rebuilt by 
the Jews, the Gentiles will tread it under foot, forty and 
two months, during which time, there will be two Pro- 
phets continually prophesying and working mighty 
miracles. And it seems that the Gentile army shall be 
hindered from utterly destroying and overthrowing the 
city, while these two Prophets continue. But. after a 
struggle of three years and a half, they at length suc- 
ceed in destroying these two Prophets, and then over- 
running much of the city ; they send gifts to each other 
because of the death of the two Prophets, and in the 
mean time will not allow their dead bodies to be put in 
graves, but suffer them to lie in the streets of Jerusalem 
three days and a half ; during which the armies of the 
Gentiles, consisting of many kindreds, tongues, and na- 
tions, passing through the city plundering the Jews, see 
their dead bodies lying in the street. But after three 
days and a half, on a sudden, the spirit of life from God 
enters them, and they will arise and stand upon their 
feet, and great fear will fall upon them that see them. 
And then they shall hear a voice from heaven saying, 
u Come up hither,” and they will ascend up to heaven 
in a cloud, their enemies beholding them. And, having 
described all these things, then come the shaking, spoken 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


49 


by Ezekiel, and the rending of the Mount of Olives, 
spoken of by Zachariah. John says: “The same hour 
there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the 
city fell ; and in the earthquake were slain of men seven 
thousand.” And then one of the next scenes that fol- 
low is the sound of voices, saying : “ The kingdoms of 
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and 
of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” 

Now, having summed up the description of these 
great events spoken of by these Prophets, I would just 
remark, there is no difficulty in understanding them all 
to be perfectly plain and literal in their fulfillment. 

Suffice it to say, the Jews gather home, and rebuild 
Jerusalem. The nations gather against them to battle. 
Their armies encompass the city, and have more or less 
power over it for three years and a half. A couple of 
Jewish Prophets, by their mighty miracles, keep them 
from utterly overcoming the Jews; until at length 
they are slain, and the city is left in a great measure to 
the mercy of their enemies for three days and a half ; 
the two Prophets rise from the dead and ascend up into 
heaven. The Messiah comes, convulses the earth, over- 
throws the army of the Gentiles, delivers the Jews, 
cleanses Jerusalem, cuts off all wickedness from the 
earth, raises the Saints from the dead, brings them with 
Him, and commences His reign of a thousand years ; 
during which time His Spirit will be poured out upon 
all flesh; men and beasts, \ birds and serpents, will be 
perfectly harmless, and peace and the knowledge and 
glory of God shall eover the earth as the waters cover 

the sea; and the kingdom, and "the greatness of the 

E 


50 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the 
Saints of the Most High. 

During this thousand years, Satan will be bound, 
and have no power to tempt the children of men. And 
the earth itself will be delivered from the curse, which 
came by reason of the Fall. The rough places will be- 
come smooth, the barren deserts fruitful ; the mountains 
levelled ; the valleys exalted ; the thorn and thistle shall 
no more be found, but all the earth shall yield her in- 
crease in abundance to the Saints of God. But, after 
the thousand years are ended, then shall Satan be loosed, 
and shall go out to deceive the nations which dwell in 
the four quarter^ of the earth, to gather them to battle, 
and to bring them up to battle against the camp of the 
Saints. Then the great and last struggle shall take 
place between God and Satan, for the empire of the 
earth. Satan and his army shall be overthrown. And 
after these great things, come the end of the earth, the 
resurrection of the wicked, and the last j udgment. And 
there shall be a new earth and a new heaven, for the 
former earth and the former heaven shall have passed 
away, that is, they will be changed from temporal to 
eternal, and made tit for the abode of immortals. 
Then cometh Jerusalem down from God, out of heaven, 
having been renewed as well as the htavens and the 
•earth. “For,” says He, “behold, I make all things 
new.” This new city, placed upon the new earth, with 
the Lord God and the Lamb in the midst, seems to be 
man’s eternal abode, insomuch that, after all our long- 
ings for a place beyond the bounds of time and space, 
as saith the poet, we are at last brought to our proper 
senses, and given to understand that man is destined for 




PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


51 


ever to inherit this self-same planet, upon which he was 
first created, which shall be redeemed, sanctified, re- 
newed, purified, and prepared as an eternal inheritance 
for immortality and eternal life ; with the holy city for 
its capital, the throne of God in the midst, for its seat of 
government ; and watered with a stream, clear as crystal, 
called the Waters of Life, issuing from the throne of 
Jehovah; while either side is adorned with trees of 
never fading beauty. “Blessed are they that do his 
commandments, that they may have a right to the tree 
of life, and may enter in through the gates into the 
city.” By this time we begin to understand the words 
of the Savior : “ Blessed are the meek, for they shall in- 
herit the earth.” And also the song which John heard 
in heaven, which ended thus : “We shall reign on the 
earth.” Reader, do not be startled ; suppose you were 
to be caught up into heaven, there to stand with the re- 
deemed of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 
and join them in singing, and to your astonishment, all 
heaven is filled with joy, while they tune the immortal 
lyre, in joyful anticipation of one day reigning on the 
earth — a planet now under the dominion of Satan, the 
abode of wretchedness and misery, from which your 
glad spirit had taken its flight, and, as you supposed, an 
everlasting farewell.- You might perhaps be startled for 
a moment, and inquire within yourself : “ Why have I 
never heard this theme sung among the churches on 
earth?” Well, my friend, the answer would be — “Be- 
cause you lived in a day when people did not under- 
stand the Scriptures.” 

Abraham would tell you, you should have read the 
promise of God to him, Gen. xvii. 8, where God no 


52 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


only promised the land of Canaan to his seed for an 
everlasting possession, but also to him. Then you 
should have read the testimony of Stephen, Acts vii. 

5, by which you would have ascertained that Abraham 
never had inherited the things promised, but was 
still expecting to rise from the dead and be brought into 
the land of Canaan, to inherit them. “ Yes,” says Ezekiel, 

“ if you had read the 37th chapter of my Prophecies, you 
would have found a positive promise, that God would 
open the graves of the whole house of Israel, who were 
dead, and gather up their dry bones, and put them 
together, each to its own proper place, and even 
clothe them again with flesh, sinews, and skin, and 
put His Spirit in them, and they should live ; and then, 
instead of being caught up to heaven, they should 
be brought into the land of Canaan, which the Lord 
gave them, and they should inherit it.” But, still 
astonished, you might turn to Job ; and he, surprised to 
find one unacquainted with so plain a subject, would 
exclaim : li Did you never read my 19th chapter, from the ' 
23rd to the 27th verses, where I declare, I wish my 
words were written in a book, saying, that my Re- 
deemer would stand on the earth in the latter-day, and 
that I should see him in the flesh, for myself, and not 
another; though worms should destroy this body?” 
Even David, the sweet singer of Israel, would call to 
your mind his 37th Psalm, where he repeatedly declares 
that the meek shall inherit the earth for ever, after the 
wicked are cut off from the face thereof. And last 
of all, to set the matter for ever at rest, the voice of the 
Savior would mildly fall upon your ear, in his sermon 
on the mount, declaring emphatically : “ Blessed are the 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 53 

meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” To these things 
you would answer: <f I have read these passages to be 
sure, but was always taught to believe that they did not 
mean so, therefore I never understood them until now. 
Let me go and tell the people what wonders have opened 
to my view, since my arrival in heaven, merely from 
having heard one short song. It is true, I have heard 
much of the glories of heaven described, while on earth, 
but never once thought of their rejoicing in anticipa- 
tion of returning to the earth.” Says the Saviour: 
“They have Moses and the Prophets; if they will 
not believe them, neither would they believe although 
one should rise from the dead.” 

We will now return to the subject of the coming 
of Messiah, and the ushering in of that glorious day, 
called the Millennium, or rest of a thousand years. 
We gather from the field of prophecy, through which 
we have passed; first, that that glorious day will be 
ushered in by the personal coming of Christ, and the 
resurrection of all the saints ; second, that all the 
wicked will be destroyed from the earth, by overwhelm- 
ing judgments of God, and by fire, at the time of his 
coming, insomuch that the earth will be cleansed by 
fire from its wicked inhabitants, as it once was by 
water; and this burning will include priests as well 
as people : all but a few shall be burned. This burning 
more especially applies to the fallen church, rather than 
to the heathen or Jews, whom they are now trying 
to convert. Woe unto you, Gentiles, who call your- 
selves the people of the Lord, but have made void the 
law of God by your traditions ; for in vain do you call 
Lord, Lord, and do not the things which Jesus com- 



54 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


mands ; in vain do ye worship him, teaching for 
doctrines the commandments of men. Behold, the 
sword of vengeance hangs over you and except you 
repent, it will soon fall upon you ; and it will be 
more tolerable in that day for the Jews and heathen 
than for you. Behold ye flatter yourselves that the glori- 
ious day spoken of by the Prophets will be ushered in 
by your modern inventions and moneyed plans, which 
are got up in order to convert the Jews and heathen 
to the various sectarian principles now existing among 
yourselves; and you expect, when this is done, to 
behold a millennium after your own heart. But the 
Jews and heathen never will be converted, as a people, 
to anj^ other plan than that laid down in the Bible 
for the great restoration of Israel. And you yourselves 
are laboring under a broken covenant, and ripening for 
the fire as fast as possible. But do not count me 
your enemy because I tell you the truth, for God is my 
witness that I love your souls too well to keep back any 
truth from you, however severe it may seem. The 
wounds of a friend are better than the kisses of an 
enemy. Now concerning the signs of the times, the 
inquiry often arises : “ When shall these things be, and 
what signs shall there be when these things shall come 
to pass ? 11 lam often asked the question, whether it is 
near at hand ; I will therefore tell you all, whereby you 
may know for yourselves when it is nigh, even at the 
doors, and not be dependent on the knowledge of 
others. 

Now you behold the apple-tree, and all the trees, 
when they begin to shoot forth their leaves, ye know of 
your own selves that summer is nigh at hand ; and so 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


55 


likewise when ye shall see great earthquakes, famines, 
pestilence, and plagues of every kind ; the sea breaking 
beyond its bounds, and all things in commotion ; 
the nations distressed with perplexity; men’s hearts 
failing them for fear, and for looking for the things 
which are coming on the earth ; when you see signs 
in the heaven above, and in the earth beneath, blood, 
and fire, and vapor of smoke, the sun turned to darkness, 
the moon to blood, and stars hurled from their courses ; 
when you see the Jews gathering to Jerusalem, and the 
armies of the nations gathering against them to battle, 
you may know, with a perfect knowledge, that Christ’s 
coming is near, even at the doors. “ Verily I say unto 
you, this generation shall not pass till all these things 
be fulfilled.” Heaven and earth shall pass away, but 
not one word of all that the Lord has spoken by the 
mouth of all His Holy Prophets and Apostles shall fail. 
Whoever will look to the word of the Prophets, and to 
the sayings of Jesus Christ, on this subject, the same 
will be convinced that all the signs of which I have 
spoken are clearly pointed out as the signs of his com- 
ing. But, notwithstanding all these things are written, 
# liis coming will overtake the world unawares, as the 
flood did the people in the days of Noah. The reason 
is, they will not understand the Prophets. They will 
not endure sound doctrine; their ears are turned away 
from the truth, and turned to fables, because of false 
teachers, and the precepts of men ; and what is still 
worse, when God sends men with the New and Ever- 
lasting Covenant, and clothes them with boldness to 
testify to the truth, they will be treated as the servants 
of God have been before them by the fallen churches ; 


56 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 


every church, will cleave to its own way, and will 
unite in saying : “There is no need of these new things, 
the good old way is right while at the same time 
they are walking in as many different ways as there are 
sects, and only agree in persecuting and speaking all 
manner of evil against the fishers and hunters whom 
God shall send. But, thank Heaven, there are in- 
dividuals in every sect who aie humbly seeking the 
truth, and who will know the voice of truth, and be 
gathered out, and planted in the New and Everlasting 
Covenant; and they will be adopted into the family 
of Israel, and will be gathered with them, and be 
partakers of the same covenant of promise. Yea, as 
Jeremiah says, in the 16th chapter of his Prophecies : 
“ The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the 
earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited 
lies, vanities, and things wherein there is no profit.” 
But as the Jews overlooked Christ’s first coming, by not 
understanding the Prophets, and fastening their whole 
expectations on his glorious coming in the last days, to 
restore the kingdom to Israel, and avenge them of their 
enemies, and, by this mistake, were broken and scat- 
tered ; so the Gentiles will overlook the prophecies con- 
cerning his second coming, by confounding them with 
the last judgment, which is to take place more than a 
thousand years afterward. But this fatal mistake, in- 
stead of causing the Gentiles to be broken and scattered, 
will cause them to be ground to powder. 

Oh! my brethren according to the flesh, my soul 
mourns over you, and had I a voice like a trumpet, I 
would cry, Awake, awake and arouse from your slum- 
bers, for the time is fulfilled, your destruction is at the 


PROPHECY YET FUTURE. 57 

door, “ for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts, a 
consumption, even determined upon the whole earth.” 
Prepare to meet your God ! And again, Awake, O ! house 
of Israel, and lift up your heads, for your redemption 
draweth nigh : yea, depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from 
hence, gather home from your long dispersion, rebuild 
your cities; yea, go ye out from the nations, from one 
end of heaven to the other ; but let not your flight be in 
haste, for the Lord shall go before you, and the God of 
Israel shall be your rearward. And finally, I would say 
to all, both Jew and Gentile, Repent ye, repent ye, for 
the great day of the Lord is at hand ; for if I, who am 
a man, do lift up my voice, and call upon you to repent, 
and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh, 
when the thunders shall utter their voices to the ends of 
the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying: 
“Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord?” 
Yea, again, when the lightnings shall streak from the 
east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto 
all that live, and make the ears of all that hear to tingle, 
saying these words : “ Repent ye, for the great day of the 
Lord is come.” And again, the Lord shall utter his 
voice out of heaven, saying : “ Hearken, O ye nations of 
the earth, and hear the words of that God who made 
you : O ye nations of the earth, how oft would I have 
gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings, but ye* would not ! How often have I 
called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by 
the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and 
by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of light- 
nings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of 
earthquakes and great hailstorms, and by the voice of 


58 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


famine and pestilences of every kind, and by the great 
sound of a trumpet, and by the voice of judgments, and 
by the voice of mercy, all the day long, and by the voice 
of glory and honor, and the riches of eternal life, and 
would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but 
you would not! Behold, the day has come, when the 
cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.” 


CHAPTER III.. 

THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 

“Seek first the Kingdom of God.” 

This was the command of the Savior, while on the 
earth, teaching the children of men. 

Having taken a general view of the Prophecies, 
Past and Future, we shall now proceed to fulfill this 
command, and search out the kingdom of God. But, 
before we advance, I would again caution the reader not 
to accompany me in this research, unless he is prepared 
to sacrifice everything, even to his good name, and life 
itself, if necessary, for the truth ; for if he should once 
get a view of the kingdom of God, he will be so de- 
lighted, that he never will rest satisfied short of becom- 
ing a subject of the same. And yet it will be so unlike 
every other system of religion now on earth, that he will 
be astonished that any person, with the Bible in his 
hand, should ever have mistaken any of the systems of 
men for the kingdom of God. There are certain powers, 
privileges, and blessings, pertaining to the kingdom of 
God, which are found in no other kingdom, nor enjoyed 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


59 


by any other people. By these it was ever distinguished 
from all other kingdoms and systems, insomuch that the 
inquiring mind, seeking the kingdom of God, and be- 
ing once acquainted with these peculiarities concerning 
it, need never mistake it, or be at a loss to know when 
he has found it. But before we proceed any further in 
’ our research, let us agree upon the meaning of the term. 
The Kingdom of God, or the sense in which we will use 
it ; for some apply this term to the kingdom of glory 
above, and some to the individual enjoyments of their 
own souls, while others apply it to His organized gov- 
ernment on the earth. Now, when we speak of the 
kingdom of God, we wish it to be understood that we 
mean His organized government on the earth. 

Now, reader, we launch forth into the wide field be- 
fore us in search of a kingdom. But stop, let us con- 
sider — What is a kingdom ? I reply, that four things are 
required in order to constitute any kingdom in heaven or 
on earth ; namely, first, a king ; secondly, commissioned 
officers duly qualified to execute his ordinances and 
laws; thirdly, a code of laws by which the subjects are 
governed ; and fourthly, subjects who are governed. 
Where these exist in their proper order and regular au- 
thority, there is a kingdom, but where either of these 
ceases to exist, there is a disorganization of the kingdom ; 
consequently an end of it, until reorganized after the 
same manner as before. In this respect the kingdom of 
God is like all other kingdoms ; wherever we find offi- 
cers duly commissioned and qualified by the Lord Jesus, 
together with his ordinances and laws existing in purity, 
unmixed with any precepts or commandments of men, 
there the kingdom of God exists, and there his power is 


60 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


manifest, and His blessings are enjoyed as in days of 
old. 

We shall now take a view of the setting up of the 
kingdom of God in the days of the Apostles. The first 
intimation of its near approach was by an angel to Zacli- 
ariah, promising him a son, who should go before the 
King to prepare his way. The next manifestation was 
to Mary, and finally to Joseph, by a holy angel, promis- 
ing the birth of the Messiah ; while at the same time, 
the Holy Ghost manifested unto Simeon, in the temple, 
that he should not die until he had seen the Savior. 
Thus, all these, together with the shepherds and the 
wise men from the east, began to rejoice with a joy un- 
speakable and full of glory, while the world around 
them knew not the occasion of their joy. After these 
things, all seemed to rest in silent expectation, until 
John had grown to manhood, when he came bounding 
from the wilderness of Judea, with a proclamation 
strange and new, crying : “ Repent ye, for the kingdom 
of heaven is at hand,” baptizing unto repentance, tell- 
ing them plainly that their King was already standing 
among them, on the point of setting up his kingdom. 
And while he yet ministered, the Messiah came, and 
was baptized, and sealed with the Spirit of God, 
which rested upon him in the form of a dove ; and soon 
after began the same proclamation as John, saying — 
“Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 
Then, after choosing twelve disciples, he sent them forth 
into all the cities of Judea, with the same proclamation — 
“ Th e kingdom of heaven is at hand ; ” and after them he 
sent seventy, and then another seventy, with the same 
news, so that all might be well warned and prepared for 






THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


61 


a kingdom which was soon to be organized amongst 
them. But when these things had produced the desired 
effect, in causing a general expectation, more especially 
in the hearts of his disciples, who daily expected to tri- 
umph over their persecutors, by the coronation of this 
glorious personage, while they themselves were hoping 
for a reward for all their toil and sacrifices for his sake, 
by being exalted to dignity near his person, what must 
have been their disappointment, when they saw their 
King taken and crucified, having been mocked, derided, 
ridiculed, and finally overcome, and triumphed over, 
both by Jew and Gentile? They would gladly have 
died in battle to have placed him upon the throne; but 
tamely to submit without a struggle, to give up all their 
expectations, and sink in despair from the highest pitch 
of enthusiasm to the lowest degradation, was more than 
they could well endure. They shrank back in sorrow, 
and returned every man to his net, or to their several 
occupations, supposing all was over ; probably with re- 
flections like these : “ Is this the result of all our labors? 
was it for this we forsook all worldly objects, our friends, 
our houses and lands, suffering persecution, hunger, fa- 
tigue, and disgrace ? And we trusted it should have 
been He who would have delivered Israel ; but alas, 
they have killed Him, and all is over. For three years 
we have awakened a general expectation through all 
Judea, by telling them that the kingdom of heaven was 
at hand, but now our King is dead, how shall we dare 
to look the people in the face ? ” With these reflections, 
each pursuing his own course, all was again turned to 
silence, and the voice had ceased to be heard in Judea, 
crying : “ Kepent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at 


hand .’ 1 Jesus slept in the arms of death; a great stone 
with the seal of state, secured the tomb where he lay, 
while the Roman guard stood in watchful silence to see 
that all was kept secure ; when suddenly, from the regions 
of glory, a mighty angel descended, at whose presence 
the soldiers fell back as dead men, while he rolled the 
stone from the door of the sepulchre, and the Son of God 
awoke from his slumbers, burst the bonds of death, and 
soon after appearing to Mary, he sent her to the disciples 
with the joyful news of his resurrection, and appointed 
a place to meet them. When, after seeing him, all their 
sorrow was turned into joy, and all their former hopes 
were suddenly revived, they had no longer to cry — “ The 
kingdom of heaven is at hand,” but were to tarry at Je- 
rusalem until the kingdom was established ; and they 
prepared to unlock the door of the kingdom, and to 
adopt strangers and foreigners into it as legal citizens, 
by administering certain laws and ordinances, which 
were invariably the laws of adoption, and without which 
no man could ever become a citizen. Having ascended 
up on high, and having been crowned with all power in 
heaven and on earth, he again comes to his disciples, 
and gives them their authority, saying unto them : “Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every 
creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be 
saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And 
these signs shall follow them that believe : In my name 
shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with new 
tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if they drink 
any deadly thing it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay 
hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”. Mark xvi. 
15 18. Now I wish the reader not to pass over this 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


63 


commission until he understands it, because when once 
understood, he never need mistake the kingdom of God, 
but will at once discover those peculiarities which were 
for ever to distinguish it from all other kingdoms or re- 
ligious systems on earth. Lest he should misunderstand, 
we will analyze it, and look at each part carefully in its 
own proper light ; first, they were to preach the Gospel, 
or in other words, the glad tidings of a crucified and 
risen Redeemer, to all the world ; secondly, he that be- 
lieved, and was baptized, should be saved ; thirdly, he 
that did not believe what they preached should be 
damned ; and fourthly, these signs should follow them 
that believed, first, they were to cast out devils ; second, 
to speak with new tongues ; third, to take up serpents ; 
fourth, if they drank any deadly thing, it should not 
hurt them ; fifth, they were to lay hands on the sick, and 
they should recover. 

Now, it is wilful blindness, or ignorance of the Eng- 
lish language, that has ever caused any misunderstand- 
ing here. For some tell us that those signs were only to 
follow the Apostles; and others, that they were only to 
follow believers in that age. But Christ places the 
preaching, believing, salvation, and the signs that were 
to follow, all on an equal footing ; where one was 
limited, the other must be ; where one ceased, the other 
did. If the language limits these signs to the Apostles, 
it limits faith and salvation also to them. If no 
others were to have these signs follow them, then 
no others were to believe, and no others were to be 
saved. Again, if the language limits these signs to the 
first age or ages of Christianity, then it limits salvation 
to the first ages of Christianity, for one is precisely 


64 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


as much limited as the other ; and where one is in 
force, the other is ; and where one ends, the other must 
stop. And as well might we say, preaching of the Gospel 
is no longer needed ; neither faith nor salvation ; these 
were only given at first to establish the Gospel, 
as to say, the signs are no longer necessary, they 
were only given at first to establish the Gospel. But, 
says the astonished reader: “Have not these signs 
ceased from among men?” I reply, prove that they 
have ceased, and it will prove that the Gospel has ceased 
to be preached, that men have ceased to believe and 
be saved, and that the world is without the kingdom of 
God ; or else it will prove that Jesus Christ was an im- 
postor, and his promises of no effect. 

Now, having analyzed and understood this com- 
mission, let us still pursue the subject of the organ- 
ization of the kingdom of God in the days of the 
Apostles. The Saviour, having given them their author- 
ity, commands them to tarry, and not undertake their 
mission, until they were endowed with power from 
on high. But why this delay? Because no man was 
ever qualified, or ever will be, to preach the Gospel, and 
teach all things whatsoever Jesus commanded him, 
without the Holy Ghost ; and a very different Holy 
Ghost, too, from the one enjoyed by men who are 
not inspired, for the Holy Ghost of which Jesus spake 
would guide into all truth, bring all things to re- 
membrance, whatsoever he had said unto them, and 
show them things to come— not to mention that it 
would enable them to speak in all the languages of the 
earth. Now a man who preaches needs that Holy 
Ghost very much ; first, to guide into all truth, that he 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


65 


may know what to teach; second, to strengthen his 
memory, lest he might neglect to teach some of the 
things which were commanded them ; and, third, he 
needs to know things to come, that he may forewarn his 
hearers of approaching danger, and that would consti- 
tute him a prophet. From this, the reader may see how 
careful Jesus was that none should preach his Gospel 
without the Holy Ghost. He may also learn how 
different the Spirit of Truth is from the spirits now 
abroad in the earth, deceiving the world, under the 
name of the Holy Ghost. If the churches of the pres- 
ent day have the Holy Ghost, why are they so much at 
a loss to understand truth? Why do they walk in so 
many different ways and doctrines? Why do they need 
whole libraries of sermons, tracts, divinities, debates, 
arguments, and opinions, all written by the wisdom 
of men, without even professing to be inspired? Well 
doth the Lord complain, saying: “Their fear towards 
me is taught by the precepts of men/’ But to return ; 
the Apostles tarried at Jerusalem until endowed with 
power, and then they commenced to proclaim the 
Gospel. 

Here we have discovered several things towards 
a kingdom : first, we have found a King, crowned 
at the right hand of God, to whom is committed all 
power in heaven and on earth ; second, commissioned 
officers, duly appointed to administer the affairs of 
government; third, the laws by which they were to 
be governed were all things whatsoever Jesus had 

COMMANDED HIS DISCIPLES TO TEACH THEM. 

And now, if we can find how men became citizens 
of that kingdom, I mean as to the rules of adoption, 


66 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


then we have found the kingdom of God in that age, 
and shall be very much dissatisfied with every thing in 
our own age, professing to be the kingdom of God, which 
is not according to the pattern. 

It happened that there were no natural -born subjects 
of that kingdom, for both Jew and Gentile were in- 
cluded in sin and unbelief; and none could be citizens 
without the law of adoption. All that believed on the 
name of the King had power to be adopted, but there 
was but one invariable rule or plan by which they were 
adopted ; and all that undertook to claim citizenship, in 
any other way whatever, were counted thieves and 
robbers, and could never obtain the seal of adoption. 
This rule was laid down in the Saviour’s teaching to 
Nicodemus, namely: “Except a man be born of water 
(that is, baptized in water) and of the Spirit, (that is, 
baptized with the Spirit) he cannot enter into the 
kingdom of God/’ 

Now, to Peter were given the keys of the kingdom ; 
therefore it was his duty to open the kingdom to Jew, 
and also to Gentile. We will therefore carefully ex- 
amine the manner in which he did adopt the Jews into 
the kingdom on the day of Pentecost. 

Now, when the multitude came running together 
on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter, standing 
up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and reasoned 
with them from the Scriptures, testifying of Jesus 
Christ, and his resurrection and ascension on high — in- 
somuch that many became convinced of the truth, and 
inquired what they should do. These were not Chris- 
tians, but they were people who were that moment 
convinced that Jesus was the Christ ; and because they 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


67 


were convinced of this fact, they inquired—" What shall 
we do?” Then Peter said unto them : lc Repent and be 
baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Ghost : for the promise is unto you, and 
your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many 
as the Lord our God shall call.” My reader, do you un- 
derstand this proclamation? If you do, you will see 
that this Gospel is not generally preached in modern 
times. Let us therefore analyze and examine it, sen- 
tence by sentence. You recollect they already believed, 
and the next thing was for them to repent ; ’first, faith ; 
second, repentance; third, baptism; fourth, remission 
of sins ; and fifth, the Holy Ghost. This was the order 
of the Gospel. Faith gave the power to become sons, or 
citizens ; repentance, and baptism in his name, was the 
obedience through which they were adopted ; and the 
Holy Spirit of promise was the seal of their adoption, 
and this they were sure to receive if they would obey. 
Now, reader, where do you hear such preaching in our 
day ? Who teaches that those who believe and repent, 
should be baptized, and none others ? Perhaps the reader 
may say the Baptists do ; but do they call upon men to 
be baptized as soon as they believe and repent? And 
moreover, do they promise the remission of sins, with 
the gift of the Holy Ghost? Recollect, now, what effect 
the Holy Ghost has upon people who receive it. It will 
guide them into all truth, strengthen the memory, and 
show them things to come. And Joel has said, it would 
cause them to dream dreams, to see visions, and to 
prophesy. O ! my reader, where do you find a 
Gospel like this preached among men ? Would men go 


68 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


mourning for weeks upon weeks, without the forgive- 
ness of sins, or the comfort of the Holy Spirit, if Peter 
stood among us to tell precisely how to get such bless- 
ings ? Now, what would you think of a camp meeting, 
where three thousand men should come forward to 
be prayed for, and one of the ministers should (Peter 
like) command them every one to repent, and be 
baptized for the remission of sins, promising that all 
who obeyed should receive the remission of sins and the 
gift of the Holy Ghost, which should cause them to 
dream dreams and prophecy; and then should arise 
with his brethren of the same calling, and the same 
hour commence baptizing, and continue until they had 
baptized them all ; and the Holy Ghost should fall upon 
them, and they begin to see visions, speak* in other 
tongues, and prophecy? Would not the news go 
abroad, far and wide, that a new doctrine had made 
its appearance, quite different from any thing now 
practised among men? O yes, says the reader, this, to 
be sure, would be something new, and very strange 
to all of us. Well, strange as it may seem, it is the 
Gospel, as preached by Peter on the day of Pentecost ; 
and Paul declares that he preached the same Gospel 
that Peter did; and he has also said: “Though we, 
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel, let 
him be accursed. ,, Now, the reader need no longer be 
astonished to see that these signs do not follow them 
that believe some other Gospel, or doctrine, different 
from that preached by the Apostles. 

But now let us return to the kingdom of God organ- 
ized in the days of the Apostles ; you discover that 
three thousand persons were adopted into the kingdom 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


69 


the first day the door was opened. These, together with 
the numerous additions which were afterwards made, 
were the subjects of this kingdom ; which, being fitly 
framed together, grew into a holy temple in the Lord. 
Thus, we have cleared away the rubbish of sectarian 
tradition and superstition, which arose in heaps around 
us ; and having searched carefully, we have at length 
discovered the kingdom of God, as it existed at 
its first organization in the days of the Apostles ; and 
we have seen that it differs widely from all modern sys- 
tems of religion, both in its offices, ordinances, powers, 
and privileges, insomuch that no man need ever mistake 
the one for the other. 

Having made this discovery, we shall proceed to 
examine the progress of that kingdom among Jew and 
Gentile; and what were its fruits, gifts, and blessings, 
as enjoyed by its citizens. 

Soon after the organization of the kingdom of God at 
Jerusalem, Philip came to Samaria, and there preached 
the Gospel: and when they believed Philip, they were 
baptized, both men and women, and had great joy. 
And afterwards, Peter and John came from Jerusalem, 
and prayed, and laid their hands on them, and they 
received the Holy Ghost. Mark here, they first believed, 
and then were baptized, having great joy, and yet had 
not received the Holy Ghost. But that was afterwards 
given, by the laying on of hands and prayer, in the 
name of Jesus. O how different from the systems of 
men ! 

Witness Paul’s conversion while on his journey to 
Damascus : The Lord Jesus appeared to him in the way ; 
but instead of telling him his sins were forgiven, 


70 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


and pouring the Holy Ghost upon him, he sent him to 
Damascus, telling him that it should there be told him 
what he should do. And coming to Damascus, Ananias 
being sent, commanded him not to tarry, but to “ arise 
and be baptized, and wash away his sins, calling on the 
name of the Lord ; ” then he arose and was baptized, 
and was even filled with the Holy Ghost, and straight- 
way preached that Jesus was the Christ. 

Again, witness Peter going to Cornelius, a Gentile 
of great piety, whose prayers were heard, and whose 
alms were remembered, and who had even attained to 
the ministering of an angel ; yet with all his piety, and 
the Holy Ghost poured out upon him and his friends, 
before they were baptized, they must be baptized, or 
they could not be saved. Why ? because the Lord had 
commanded tfie Apostles to preach to every creature, 
and every creature who would not believe and be bap- 
tized, should be damned, without one exception. Wit- 
ness the words of the angel to Cornelius : “He (Peter) 
shall tell thee words whereby thou and all thy house 
shall be saved. ” Now, query, could Cornelius have 
been saved without obeying the words of Peter? If so, 
the angel’s errand was in vain. 

Now, perhaps a minister, who should find a man as 
good as Cornelius was, would say to him: “Go on, 
brother, you can be saved, you have experienced relig- 
ion, you may indeed be baptized to answer a good 
conscience, if you feel it your duty ; or, if not, it is no 
matter, a new heart is all that is really necessary to 
salvation,” &c., as much as to say, that the command- 
ments of Jesus are not absolutely necessary to salvation, 
a man may call him Lord, Lord, and be saved, just as 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


71 


well as by keeping his commandments. Oh vain and 
foolish doctrine ! Oh ye children of men, how have you 
perverted the Gospel ! In vain do ye call him Lord, 
Lord, and do not obey his commandments. 

Next, we call to mind the jailor and his household, 
who were baptized the same hour they believed, without 
waiting for the day ; and Lydia and her household, who 
attended to the ordinance the first sermon they heard 
on the subject. Also Philip and the Eunuch, who 
stopped the chariot at the first water they came to, in 
order to attend to the ordinance, although the Eunuch 
had heard of Jesus, for the first time, only a few minutes 
before. Now, I gather from all those examples of 
ancient days, and from the precepts laid down in them, 
that baptism was the initiating ordinance, by which 
all those who believed and repented were received and 
adopted into the Church or kingdom of God, so as to be 
entitled to the remission of sins, and the blessing of the 
Holy Ghost ; indeed it was the ordinance through which 
they became sons and daughters; and because they 
were sons, the Lord shed forth the spirit of His Son into 
their hearts, crying, Abba, father. It is true, the Lord 
poured out the Holy Ghost upon Cornelius and his 
friends, before they were baptized ; but it seemed neces- 
sary, in order to convince the believing Jews that the 
Gentiles also had part in this salvation. And I believe 
this is the only instance, in the whole record, of the 
people receiving the Holy Ghost without first obeying 
the laws of adoption. 

But mark ! obeying the laws of adoption would not 
constitute a man an heir of the kingdom, a citizen 
entitled to the blessings and gifts of the Spirit, unless 


72 


THE KINGDOM OP GOD. 


these laws and ordinances were administered by one 
who had proper authority, and was duly commissioned 
from the King ; and a commission given to one indi- 
vidual could never authorise another to act in his stead. 
This is one of the most important points to be under- 
stood, as it brings to the test every minister in Christen- 
dom ; and questions the organization of every church on 
earth, and all that have existed since direct inspiration 
ceased. 

Now, in order to come at this subject in plainness, 
let us examine the constitution of earthly governments 
in regard to the authority and laws of adoption. We 
will say, for instance, the President of the United States 
writes a commission to A. B., duly authorising him to 
act in some office in the government, and, during his 
administration, two gentlemen from Europe come to 
reside in this country, and, being strangers and for- 
eigners wishing to become citizens, they go before A. B., 
and he administers the oath of allegiance in due form, 
and certifies the same, and this constitutes them legal 
citizens, entitled to all the privileges of those who are 
citizens or subjects by birth. After these things A. B. 
is taken away by death, and C. D., in looking over his 
papers, happens to find the commission given to A. B., 
and applying it to his own use, assumes the vacant 
office ; meantime, two foreigners arrive, and apply for 
citizenship, and being informed by persons ignorant of 
the affairs of government, that C. D. could administer 
the laws of adoption, they submit to be administered 
unto by C. D., without once examining his authority; 
C. D. certifies of their citizenship, and they suppose 
they have been legally adopted, the same as the others, 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


73 


and are entitled to all the privileges of citizenship. But 
by and by, their citizenship is called in question, and 
they produce the certificate of C. D. ; the President in- 
quires— “ Who is C. D. ? I never gave him a commission 
to act in any office, I know him not, and you are stran- 
gers and foreigners to the commonwealth, until you go 
before the legally appointed successor of A. B., or some 
other of like authority, who has a commission from the 
President direct in his own name.” In the meantime, C. 
D. is taken and punished according to law, for practising 
imposition, and usurping authority which was never con- 
ferred upon him. And so it is with the kingdom of God. 
The Lord authorized the Apostles and others by direct 
Revelation, and by the spirit of Prophecy, to preach and 
baptize, and build up his Church and kingdom ; but after 
a while they died, and a long time passed away, and men, 
reading over their commission, where it says to the 
eleven Apostles— “ Go ye into all the world and preach 
the Gospel to every creature,” &c., have had the pre- 
sumption to apply these sayings as their authority, and 
without any other commission, have gone forth profess- 
ing to preach the Gospel, and baptize, and build up the 
Church and kingdom of God ; but those whom they bap- 
tize never receive the same blessings and gifts which 
characterized a Saint or citizen of the kingdom in the days 
of the Apostles. Why ? Because they are yet foreigners, 
and strangers, for the commission given to the Apostles 
never commissioned any other man to act in their stead. 
This was a prerogative the Lord reserved unto himself. 
No man has a right to take this ministry upon himself, 
but he that is called by revelation, and duly qualified to 
act in his calling, by the Holy Ghost. But the reader 


74 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


inquires with astonishment — “What! are none of all 
the ministers of the present day called to the ministry, 
and legally commissioned?” Well, my reader, I will 
tell you how you may ascertain from their own mouths, 
and that will be far better than an answer from me ; go 
to the clergy, and ask them if God has given any direct 
revelation since the New Testament was finished ; in- 
quire of them whether the gift of prophecy ceased with 
the early age of the Church ; and, in short, ask them if 
revelations, Prophets, the ministering of angels, &c., 
are needed or expected in these days, or whether they 
believe that these things are done away, no more to re- 
turn to the earth ; and their answer will be that the 
Bible contains sufficient, and that since the canon of 
Scripture was filled, revelation, the spirit of prophecy 
and the ministering of angels have ceased, because 
no longer needed. In short, they will denounce every 
man as an impostor who pretends to any such thing. 
And when you have obtained this answer, ask them, 
how they themselves were called and commissioned to 
preach the Gospel, and they will be at a loss to answer 
you, and will finally tell you that the Bible commis- 
sioned them, saying— “Go ye into all the world,” &c. 
Thus, you see, all who have no direct personal revelation 
from the King of heaven, either by angels, the voice 
of God, or the spirit of prophecy, are acting under 
authority which was given to others, who are dead, and 
their commission stolen, and their authority usurped ; 
and the King will say— “ Peter I know, and Paul I 
know, I commissioned them, but who are you? I 
know you not, I never spoke to you in my life ; indeed 
you believed it was not necessary for me to speak in 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


75 




your day. Therefore you never sought in faith for any 
revelation, and I never gave you any ; and even when 
I spake to others, you mocked them, and called them 
impostors, and persecuted them, because they testified 
of the things I had said unto them, therefore, depart 
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared 
for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, 
and ye fed me not; I was naked, and ye clothed me 
not ; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in ; sick and 
in prison, and ye visited me not.” “Ah! Lord, when 
did we fail in any of these things?” “ Inasmuch as 
you have not done it unto the least of these my brethren 
(taking them for impostors, because they testified of the 
things which I had revealed unto them), ye have not 
done it unto me.” But to return : having examined 
the kingdom of God as to its offices and ordinances, and 
having discovered the only means of adoption into it, 
let us examine more fully what are the blessings, privil- 
eges, and enjoyments of its citizens. You have already 
seen that they were to cast out devils, speak with 
new tongues, heal the sick by the laying on of hands in 
the name of Jesus, as well as to see visions, dream 
dreams, prophesy, &c. 

But let us look at the kingdom in its organized state, 
and see whether these promises were verified to Jew and 
Gentile, wherever the kingdom of God was found in all 
ages of the world. 

Paul writing, 

First, “ To the church of God at Corinth.” 

Second/ ‘ To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus.” 

Third, “ To them who are called to be saints.” 

And fourth, “To all that in every place call on the 


76 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


name of Jesus Christ our Lord,” says to them all, in 1 
Corinthians xii. 1 : “ Now concerning spiritual gifts , 
brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” And then 
continuing his instructions, a few verses further on, he 
says: “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to 
every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the 
Spirit the word of wisdom ; to another the word of 
knowledge by the same Spirit ; to another faith by the 
same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing by the 
same Spirit ; to another, the working of miracles ; to 
another, prophecy ; to another, discerning of spirits ; to 
another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the inter- 
pretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one 
and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally 
as he (Christ) will. For as the body is one, and hath 
many members, and all the members of that one body, 
being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by 
one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we 
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free ; and 
have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the 
body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall 
say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body ; 
is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall 
say, because I am not the eye, I am not of the body ; is 
it therefore not of the body ? If the whole body were 
an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were 
hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God 
set the members every one of them in the body, as 
it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, 
where were the body?” I reply, it would not exist. 
“ But now are they many members, yet but one body. 
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


77 


of thee ; nor again, the head to the feet, I have no need 
of you. Nay, much more those members of the body 
which seem to be more feeble, are necessary ; and those 
members of the body which we think to be less hon- 
orable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; 
and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeli- 
ness. For our comely parts have no need : but God 
hath tempered the body together, having given more 
abundant honor to that part which lacked : that there 
should be no schism in the body ; but that the members 
should have the same care one for another. And whether 
one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or 
one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it. 
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particu- 
lar. And God hath set some in the church, first, 
apostles ; secondarily, prophets ; thirdly, teachers ; after 
that miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, govern- 
ments, diversities of tongues. Are all Apostles ? are all 
prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 
Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with 
tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the 
best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent 
way .’ ' From the 13th verse of the above chapter, we 
learn that the Apostle is still ‘speaking to the whole 
Church in all ages, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or 
free, even all who should ever compose the body of 
Christ, and showing that Christ's body consisted of 
many members, baptized by one Spirit into one body, 
possessing all these different gifts, some one gift, and 
some another : and then expressly says, that one mem- 
ber possessing one gift, should not say to another mem- 
ber possessing another gift, we have no need of thee. 


78 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


And having shown that it required Apostles, Pro- 
phets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers ; together with 
the gifts of prophecy, miracles, healing, and all other 
gifts, to compose the church , or body of Christ, in any 
age, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free ; and having 
utterly forbidden any of the members ever to say, of any 
of these gifts : “We have no need of thee,” he declares 
the body never could be perfected without all of them, 
and that if they were done away, there would be no 
body, that is, no Church of Christ in existence. Having 
shown all these things clearly, he exhorts them to covet 
earnestly the best gifts. And in the 13th chapter ex- 
horts them to faith, hope, and charity, without which 
all these gifts would avail them nothing : and in the 
14th chapter repeats the exhortation : “ Follow after 
charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye 
may prophesy.” Again, in Ephesians i. 17, Paul prays 
that the Lord would give unto the Church the Spirit of 
wisdom and of revelation, in the knowledge of God. 
Again, in Ephesians iv., he j tells them, there is one 
body and one Lord, one Spirit, one Faith, and one Bap- 
tism ; and that Christ ascended up on high, led captivi- 
ty captive, and gave gifts to men. And he gave some 
Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, Evangelists; 
and some, Pastors and Teachers. And if the reader in- 
quire what these gifts or offices were for, let him read 
the 12th verse : “ For the perfecting of the saints, for the 
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of 
Christ.” And if he inquire how long these were to con- 
tinue, the 13th verse says : c ‘ Till we all come in the 
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of 
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


79 


of the fulness of Christ.” And if he still inquire what 
further object Christ had in giving these gifts, let him 
read the 14th verse: “'That we henceforth be no more 
children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every 
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning 
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” 

Now, without these gifts and offices, first, the Saints 
cannot be perfected ; second, the work of the ministry 
cannot proceed; third, the body of Christ cannot be 
edified; and fourth, there is nothing to prevent them 
from being carried about with every wind of doctrine. 
Now I boldly declare that the cause of all the division, 
confusion, jars, discord, and animosities; and the fruitful 
source of so many faiths, lords, baptisms, and spirits ; 
and of the understanding being darkened ; and of men 
being alienated from the life of God, through the ignor- 
ance that is in them, because of the blindness of their 
hearts, is, because they have neither Apostles, Prophets, 
nor gifts, inspired from on high, to whom they give 
heed ; for if they had such gifts, and would give heed 
unto them, they would be built up in one body, in the 
pure doctrine of Christ, having one Lord, one faith, one 
baptism, and one hope of their calling ; yea, they would 
be edified, built up unto Christ in all things, in whom 
the whole body, fitly joined together, would grow into 
an holy temple in the Lord. 

But so long as the cunning craftiness of men can 
persuade them that they have no need of these things, 
so long they can toss them about with every wind of 
doctrine, just as they please. 

Now, reader, I have done our examination of the 
kingdom of God, as it existed in the Apostles* days ; and 


80 


THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 


we cannot look at it in any other age, until renewed again 
in the last days, for it never did, nor never will exist, 
without Apostles and Prophets, and all the other gifts of 
the Spirit. 

Were we to take a view of the churches, from the 
days that inspiration ceased until now, we should see 
nothing like the kingdom which we have been viewing 
with such admiration and delight. But instead of 
Apostles and Prophets, we should see false teachers, 
whom'men had heaped to themselves ; and instead of the 
gifts of the Spirit, we should see the wisdom of men ; 
and instead of the Holy Ghost, many false spirits ; in- 
stead of the ordinances of God, commandments of men ; 
instead of knowledge, opinion ; guess work, instead of 
revelation; division, instead of union; doubt, instead of 
faith; despair, instead of hope; hatred, instead of chari- 
ty ; a physician, instead of the laying on of hands for the 
healing of the sick ; fables, instead of truth ; evil for 
good, good for evil; darkness for light, light for dark- 
ness; and in a word, anti-christ instead of Christ; the 
powers of earth having made war with the Saints, and 
overcome them, until the words of God should be ful- 
filled. O my God, shut up the vision! for my heart 
sickens while I gaze; and let the day hasten on when 
the earth shall be cleansed by fire from such awful pollu- 
tions ; but first, let thy promise be fulfilled, whieh thou 
didst make by the mouth of thy servant John, that thou 
wouldst call thy people out of her, saying ; “ Come out of 
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and 
that ye receive not of her plagues; ” and then, O Lord, 
when thou hast called thy people out from the midst of 
her, by the fishers and hunters whom thou hast prom- 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


81 


ised to send in the last days to gather Israel ; yea, when 
thine everlasting covenant has been renewed, and thy 
people established thereby; then let her plagues come 
in one day, death, mourning, and famine; let her be 
burned with fire ; that thy holy Apostles and Prophets, 
and all that fear thy name, small and great, may rejoice, 
because thou hast avenged the blood of thy Saints upon 
her. I ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE BOOK OF MORMON— ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN 
INDIANS, ETC. 

Ye gloomy scenes, far hence, intrude no more! 

Sublimer themes invite the muse to soar 

In loftier strains, while scenes both strange and new 

Burst on the sight, and open to the view. 

Lo! from the opening heavens, in bright array 
An angel comes — to earth he bends his way: 

Reveals to man, in power, as at the first, 

The fulness of the Gospel long since lost. 

See earth, obedient, from its bosom yield 
The sacred truth it faithfully concealed. 

The^wise, confounded, startle at the sight, 

The proud and haughty tremble with affright. 

The hireling priests against the truth engage, 

While hell beneath stands trembling, filled with rage; 

False are their hopes, and all their struggles vain, 

Their craft must fall, and with it all their gain; 

The deaf must bear, the meek their joy increase; 

The poor be glad, and their oppression cease. 

While darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness 
the people, every man walking in his own way, and 
looking for gain from his quarter, the Lord having for a 



£2 THE BOOK OF MORMON. 

long time held His peace, and the people having fondly 
flattered themselves that the voice of inspiration would 
never again sound in the ears of mortals, to disturb or 
molest them in their sinful career ; while a few were 
looking for the consolation of Israel, and crying to God 
for the ushering in of that long-expected day, when an 
angel should fly through the midst of heaven, having 
the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell 
on the earth — suddenly, a voice is heard from the wilder- 
ness, a cry salutes the ears of mortals, a testimony is 
heard among them, piercing to the inmost recesses of 
their hearts, when all at once the heathen begin to rage, 
and the people to imagine a vain thing ; the clergy lift a 
warning voice, crying impostor, false prophets, beware 
of delusion, &c. ; while the professor of religion, the 
drunkard, the swearer, the learned, and the ignorant 
soon catch the sound and reiterate it again and again. 
Thus it re-echoes from one end of our country to the 
other for a long time, and if any one should be so 
fortunate as to retain his sober senses, and should can- 
didly inquire, “What is the matter?” the reply is: 
“We hardly know any thing about it, but suffice it 
to say, some fellows have made their appearance, Paul 
like, who testify something about the ministering of 
angels, or some revelation or inspiration, just as though 
the religion of ancient days, and the faith once de- 
livered to the Saints, were returning to the earth in 
this enlightened age ; so that not only this our craft is 
in danger, but our modern systems of religion, built 
upon the wisdom and learning of men, without direct 
inspiration, are like to be spoken against, and their 
great magnificence despised, though worshipped by all 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 83 


the world.” And then all again cry with a loud voice, 
saying: “ Great is the wisdom of man; great are the 
systems of modern divinity ; great is the wisdom of un- 
inspired priests, who come unto us with excellency of 
speech, and with man’s wisdom, determined to know 
nothing among us save opinions and creeds of their 
own ; and their speech, and their preaching, are with 
enticing words of man’s wisdom, not in demonstration 
of the Spirit, and of power, for that is done away, that 
our faith should not stand in the power of God, but 
in the wisdom of man.” 

In the midst of the noise and clamor, and prejudice 
of an opposing world, it is difficult to get the people 
to understand the facts of the case, in relation to one of 
the most important subjects ever presented to the con- 
sideration of mankind. 

t 

The Book of Mormon has perhaps been less under- 
stood, and more misrepresented, by the world at large, 
than any other publication which has ever appeared. 

America and England have, as it were, been flooded 
with publications against the said book; and many of 
them written by those who had never seen the book, or 
by those who had only read a page or two in it, or 
slightly looked it through with a biassed mind, and a 
determination to find fault. By some of these it has 
been represented as a romance ; by others, as a new 
Bible, calculated to displace the Bible, or do away with 
it. Some have pronounced it a “silly mess of stuff,” 
not worth the perusal ; and others, the most ingenious 
literary work ever put together. Some have found fault 
with it for being so much like the Bible, and agreeing 
with it; and others have condemned it for not being 


84 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


sufficiently like the Bible, and for disagreeing with it. 
Some have denounced it as notoriously corrupt, immoral, 
and blasphemous in its principles ; and others have con- 
demned it for being so exceedingly pure and moral in its 
principles, as to be just calculated to deceive. One 
clergyman, in particular, in a tract of sixty pages on 
this book, condemns it for being “a strange mixture of 
faith and works, of the mercy of God and the obedi- 
ence of the creature .” Some literary persons have pro- 
nounced it as altogether ancient in its style , language , 
and subjects , and as bearing great internal evidence 
of its own antiquity ; while others have condemned it, 
as bearing every mark of being a modern production. 
Some have said that there were no definite predictions 
of the future contained in it, by the fulfilment or failure 
of which, its prophetic merits might be tested; and 
others have quoted largely from its most plain and 
pointed predictions, which relate to circumstances about 
to be fulfilled, and have condemned it on account of its 
plainness. 

In the midst of all these jarring statements, it now 
becomes our duty to show, as far as possible, what 
the Book of Mormon really is. 

When the Lord confounded the languages at Babel, 
he led forth a colony from thence to the western conti- 
nent, which is now called America. This colony, after 
crossing the ocean in eight vessels, and landing in that 
country, became in process of time a great nation — they 
inhabited America for some fifteen hundred years. 
They were at length destroyed for their wickedness, 
about six hundred years before Christ. A Prophet by 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 85 


the name of Ether wrote their history, and an account 
of their destruction. 

Ether lived to witness their entire destruction, and 
deposited his record where it was afterwards found by 
a colony of Israelites, who came from Jerusalem six 
hundred years before Christ, and re-peopled America. 
This last colony were the descendants of the tribe of 
Joseph; they grew and multiplied, and finally gave rise 
to two mighty nations. One of these nations were 
called Nephites — one Nephi being their founder; the 
other were called Lamanites, after a leader of the name 
Laman. 

The Lamanites became a dark and benighted people, 
of whom the American Indians are still a remnant. 
The Nephites were an enlightened and civilized people, 
they were a people highly favored of the Lord, they had 
visions, angels, and the gift of prophecy among them 
from age to age ; and finally, they were blessed with a 
personal appearance of Jesus Christ after his resurrec- 
tion, from whose mouth they received the doctrine 
of the Gospel, and a knowledge of the future down 
through all succeeding ages. But after all the blessings 
and privileges conferred upon them, they fell into great 
wickedness in the third and fourth centuries of the 
Christian era, and finally were destroyed by the hands 
of the Lamanites. This destruction took place about 
four hundred years after Christ. 

Mormon lived in that age of the world, and was a 
Nephite, and a Prophet of the Lord. He, by the com- 
mandment of the Lord, made an abridgment of the 
sacred records, which contained the history of his fore- 
fathers, and the prophecies and Gospel which had been 


86 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


revealed among them ; to which he added a sketch of 
the history of his own time, and the destruction of his 
nation. Previous to his death, the abridged records fell 
into the hands of his son Moroni, who continued them 
down to A. D. 420 ; at which time he deposited them 
carefully in the earth, on a hill which was then called 
Cumorah, but is situated in Ontario county, township 
of Manchester, and State of New York, North America. 
This he did in order to preserve them from the Laman- 
ites, who overran the country, and sought to destroy 
them and all the records pertaining to the Nephites. 
This record lay concealed, or sealed up, from A. D. 420, 
to Sept. 22nd, 1827, at which time it was found by Mr. 
Joseph Smith, jun., he being directed thither by an 
angel of the Lord. 

The following account of the discovery and trans- 
lation of this record is extracted from a tract by Elder 
Orson Pratt, published at Edinburgh, in 1840, entitled, 
‘‘Remarkable Visions,” &c„ to which our readers are 
referred for further particulars : — 

u ‘How far below the surface these records were 
placed by Moroni, I am unable to say ; but from the fact 
that they had been some fourteen hundred years buried, 
and that, too, on the side of a hill so steep, one is ready 
to conclude that they were some feet below, as the earth 
would naturally wear, more or less, in that length of 
time ; but they being placed toward the top of the hill, the 
ground would not remove as much as at two-tliirds, per- 
haps. Another circumstance would prevent a wearing 
of the earth ; in all probability, as soon as timber had 
time to grow, the hill was covered after the Nephites 
were destroyed, and the roots of the same would hold 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 87 


the surface ; however, on this point, I shall leave every 
man to draw his own conclusion, and form his own 
speculation/ But suffice it to say, ‘ a hole of sufficient 
depth was dug; at the bottom of this was laid a 
stone of suitable size, the upper surface being smooth ; 
at each edge was placed a large quantity of cement, 
and into this cement, at the four edges of this stone, 
were placed erect four others ; their bottom edges rest- 
ing in the cement, at the outer edges of the first 
stone. The four last named, when placed erect, formed 
a box ; the corners, or where the edges of the four came 
in contact, were also cemented so firmly, that the 
moisture from without was prevented from entering. 
It is to be observed, also, that the inner surface of the 
four erect or side stones was smooth. This box was 
sufficiently large to admit a breast-plate, such as was 
used by the ancients to defend the chest, &c., from the 
arrows and weapons of their enemy. From the bottom 
of the box, or from the breast-plate, arose three small 
pillars, composed of the same description of cement 
used on the edges; and upon these three pillars was 
placed the record. * * * This box containing the 

record was covered with another stone, the bottom sur- 
face being flat, and the upper crowning/ When it was 
first visited by Mr. Smith, on the morning of the 22nd 
of September, 1823, * a part of the crowning stone was 
visible above the surface, while the edges were con- 
cealed by the soil and grass. From which circum- 
stance, it may be seen, that however deep this box 
might have been placed by Moroni at first, the time had 
been sufficient to wear the earth, so that it was easily 
discovered, when once directed, and yet not enough to 


88 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


make a perceivable difference to the passer-by. * * * 
After arriving at the repository, a little exertion in re- 
moving the soil from the edges of the top of the box, 
and a light pry, brought to his natural vision its con- 
tents. J 

“ While viewing and contemplating this sacred 
treasure with wonder and astonishment, behold ! the 
Angel of the Lord, who had previously visited him, 
again stood in his presence, and his soul was again 
enlightened as it was the evening before, and he was 
filled with the Holy Spirit, and the heavens were 
opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about 
and rested upon him. ‘ While he thus stood, gazing 
and admiring, the Angel said, Look ! 1 And as he thus 
spake, he beheld the Prince of Darkness, surrounded by 
his innumerable train of associates. All this passed be- 
fore him, and’ the heavenly messenger said : ‘ All this is 
shown, the good and the evil, the holy and impure, the 
glory of God, and the power of darkness, that you may 
know hearafter, the two powers, and never be influenced 
or overcome by that wicked one. Behold, whatever en- 
tices and leads to good, and to do good, is of God, and 
whatever does not, is of that wicked one. It is he that 
fills the hearts of men with evil to walk in darkness, 
and blaspheme God; and you may learn from hence- 
forth, that his ways are to destruction ; but the way 
of holiness is peace and rest. You now see why you 
could not obtain this record, that the commandment 
was strict, and that if ever these sacred things are 
obtained, they must be by prayer and faithfulness in 
obeying the Lord. They are not deposited here for the 
sake of accumulating gain and wealth, for the glory of 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 89 


this world ; they were sealed by the prayer of faith, 
and because of the knowledge which they contain, they 
are of no worth among the children of men, only for 
their knowledge. On them is contained the fulness of 
the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it was given to his people 
on this land ; and when it shall be brought forth by the 
power of God, it shall be carried to the Gentiles, of 
whom many will receive it, and after, will the seed 
of Israel be brought into the fold of their Redeemer by 
obeying it also. Those who kept the commandments of 
the Lord on this land, desired this at his hand, and 
through the prayer of faith obtained the promise, that if 
their descendants should transgress and fall away, a re- 
cord might be kept, and in the last days, come to their 
children. These things are sacred, and must be kept so, 
for the promise of the Lord concerning them must 
be fulfilled. No man can obtain them if his heart is im- 
pure, because they contain that which is sacred. * * * 
By them will the Lord work a great and marvellous 
work ; the wisdom of the wise shall become as nought, 
and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid, and 
because the power of God shall be displayed, those who 
profess to know the truth, but walk in deceit, shall 
tremble with anger ; but with signs and with wonders, 
with gifts and with healings, with the manifestations 
of the power of God, and with the Holy Ghost, shall 
the hearts of the faithful be comforted. You have now 
beheld the power of God manifested, and the power of 
Satan ; you see that there is nothing that is desirable in 
the works of darkness ; that they cannot bring happi- 
ness ; that those who are overcome therewith are miser- 
able ; while, on the other hand, the righteous are blessed 


90 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


with a place in the kingdom of God, where joy un- 
speakable surrounds them ; there they rest beyond the 
power of the enemy of truth, where no evil can disturb 
them : the glory of God crowns them, and they con- 
tinually feast upon His goodness, and enjoy his smiles. 
Behold, notwithstanding you have seen this great dis- 
play of power, by which you may ever be able to detect 
the evil one, yet I give unto you another sign, and 
when it comes to pass, then, know that the Lord is 
God, and that he will fulfil His purposes, and that the 
knowledge which this record contains, will go to every 
nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people under the 
whole heaven. This is the sign : when these things 
begin to be known, that is, when it is known that the 
Lord has shown you these things, the workers of in- 
iquity will seek your overthrow; they will circulate 
falsehoods to destroy your reputation; and also will 
seek to take your life! but remember this, if you are 
faithful, and shall hereafter continue to keep the com- 
mandments of the Lord, you shall be preserved to bring 
these things forth ; for in due time he will again give 
you a commandment to come and take them. When 
they are interpreted, the Lord will give the Holy Priest- 
hood to some, and they shall begin to proclaim this 
Gospel and baptize by water, and after that, they shall 
have power to give the Holy Ghost by the laying on of 
their hands. Then will persecution rage more and 
more ; for the iniquities of men shall be revealed, and 
those who are not built upon the Rock will seek to over- 
throw this Church ; but it will increase the more op- 
posed, and spread farther and farther, increasing in 
knowledge, till they shall be sanctified, and receive an 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 91 


inheritance where the glory of God will rest upon them ; 
and when this takes place, and all things are prepared, 
the ten tribes of Israel will be revealed in the north 
country, whither they have been for a long season ; and 
when this is fulfilled will be brought to pass that saying 
of the Prophet, ‘ And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, 
and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, 
saith the Lord.* But, notwithstanding the workers of ini- 
quity shall seek your destruction, the arm of the Lord 
will be extended, and you will be borne off conqueror, if 
you keep all His commandments. Your name shall be 
known among the nations, for the work which the Lord 
will perform by your hands shall cause the righteous 
to rejoice and the wicked to rage; with the one it 
shall be had in honor, and with the other in re- 
proach ; yet, with these it shall be a terror, because of 
the great and marvellous work which shall follow the 
coming forth of this fulness of the Gospel. Now, 
go thy way, remembering what the Lord has done for 
thee, and be diligent in keeping His commandments, 
and He will deliver thee from temptations, and all the 
arts and devices of the wicked one. Forget not to pray, 
that thy mind may become strong, that when he shall 
manifest unto thee, thou mayest have power to escape 
the evil, and obtain these precious things.” 

We here remark, that the above quotation is an 
extract from a letter written by Elder Oliver Cowdrey, 
which was published in one of the numbers of the 
“ Latter-day Saints’ Messenger and Advocate.” 

Although many more instructions were given by 
the mouth of the angel to Mr. Smith, which we do not 
write in this book, yet the most important items are 


92 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


contained in the foregoing relation. During the period 
of the four following years, he frequently received in- 
struction from the mouth of the heavenly messenger, 
and on the morning of the 22nd of September, A. D. 1827, 
the angel of the Lord delivered the records into his hands. 

These records were engraved on plates which had 
the appearance of gold. Each plate was not far from 
seven inches in width by eight inches in length, being 
not quite as thick as common tin. They were filled on 
both sides with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and 
bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book, and 
fastened at one edge with three rings running through 
the whole. This volume was something near six inches 
in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The charac- 
ters or letters upon the unsealed part were small, and 
beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many 
marks of antiquity in its construction, as well as much 
skill in the art of engraving. With the records was 
found a curious instrument, called by the ancients the 
Urim and Thummim, which consisted of two transpa- 
rent stones, clear as crystal, set in the two rims of a bow. 
This was in use in ancient times by persons called Seers. 
It was an instrument by the use of which they received 
revelation of things distant, or of things past or future. 

In the mean time the inhabitants of that vicinity, 
having been informed that Mr. Smith had seen heavenly 
visions, and that he had discovered sacred records, began 
to ridicule and mock at those things. And after having 
obtained those sacred things, while proceeding home 
through the wilderness and fields, he was way-laid by 
two ruffians, who had secreted themselves for the pur- 
pose of robbing him of the records. One of them struck 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 93 


him with a club before he perceived them ; but being a 
strong man, and large in stature, with great exertion he 
cleared himself from them, and ran towards home, 
being closely pursued until he came near his father’s 
house, when his pursuers, for fear of being detected, 
turned and fled the other way. 

Soon the news of his discoveries spread abroad 
throughout all those parts. False reports, misrepresen- 
tations, and base slanders flew as if upon the wings of 
the wind in every direction. The house was frequently 
beset by mobs and evil designing persons. Several 
times he was shot at, and very narrowly escaped. 
Every device was used to get the plates away from him. 
And being continually in danger of his life, from a 
gang of abandoned wretches ; he at length concluded 
to leave the place, and go to Pennsylvania ; and accord- 
ingly packed up his goods, putting the plates into a 
barrel of beans, and proceeded upon his journey. He 
had not gone far, before he was overtaken by an officer 
with a search warrant, who flattered himself with the 
idea that he should surely obtain the plates ; after 
searching very diligently, he was sadly disappointed at 
not finding them. Mr. Smith then drove on; but 
before he got to his journey’s end, he was again over- 
taken by an officer on the same business, and after 
ransacking the wagon very carefully, he went his way, 
as much chagrined as the first at not being able to 
discover the object of his research. Without any 
further molestation, he pursued his journey until he 
came into the northern part of Pennsylvania, near the 
Susquehanna River, in which part his father-in-law 
resided. 


94 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


Having provided himself with a home, he com- 
menced translating the record, by the gift and power of 
God, through the means of the Urirn and Thummim ; 
and being a poor writer, he was under the necessity 
of employing a scribe, to write the translation as it 
came from his mouth. 

In the meantime, a few of the original characters 
were accurately transcribed and translated by Mr. 
Smith, which, with the translation, were taken by a 
gentleman named Martin Harris to the City of New 
York, where they were presented to a learned gentle- 
man named Anthon, who professed to be extensively 
acquainted with many languages, both ancient and 
modern. He examined them, but was unable to 
decipher them correctly ; but he presumed, that if the 
original records could be brought, he could assist in 
translating them. 

But to return. Mr. Smith continued the work of 
translation, as his pecuniary circumstances would per- 
mit, until he had finished the unsealed part of the re- 
cords. The part translated is entitled the “ Book of 
Mormon,” which contains nearly as much reading as 
the Old Testament. 

“ Well,” says the objector, “if it were not for the 
marvellous, the book would be considered one of the 
greatest discoveries the world ever witnessed. If you 
had been ploughing, or digging a well or cellar and acci- 
dently dug up a record containing some account of the 
ancient history of the American continent, and of its 
original inhabitants, together with the origin of the 
Indian tribes who now inhabit it ; had this record had 
nothing to do with God, or angels, or inspiration, it 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 95 


would have been hailed by all the learned of America 
and Europe, as one of the greatest and most important 
discoveries of modern times, unfolding a mystery which 
had, until then, bid defiance to all the researches of the 
learned world. Every newspaper would have been 
filled with the glad tidings, while its contents would 
have poured upon the world a flood of light, on subjects 
before concealed in the labyrinth of uncertainty and 
doubt. But who can stoop, and so humble hhnself as 
to receive anything, in this enlightened age, renowned 
for its religion and learning, from the ministering of 
angels, and from inspiration ? This is too much; away 
with such things, it comes in contact with the wisdom 
and popularity of the day.” To this I reply, The Lord 
knew that before he revealed it ; this was one principal 
object He had in view; it is just the manner of His 
dealing with the children of men; He always takes 
a different course from the one marked out for Him by 
the wisdom of the world, in order to “confound the 
wise, and bring to nought the understanding of the pru- 
dent; ” He chooses men of low degree, even the simple 
and the unlearned, and those who are despised, to do 
His work and to bring about His purposes, that no flesh 
shall glory in His presence. O ! ye wise, and ye learn- 
ed, who despise the wisdom that comes from above! 
know ye not, that it was impossible for the world by 
wisdom to find out God ? Know ye not that all your 
wisdom is foolishness with God? Know ye not that ye 
must become as a little child, and be willing to learn 
wisdom, from the least of His servants, or you will per- 
ish in your ignorance ? 

But what are the evidences which we gather from 






96 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


Scripture, concerning the coming forth of this glorious 
work? We shall attempt to prove; first, that America 
is a land promised to the seed of Joseph ; second, that 
the Lord would reveal to them His truth as well as to 
the Jews; and third, that their record should come 
forth, and unite Its testimony, with the Record of the 
Jews, in time for the Restoration of Israel, in the last 
days. 

First, Gen. xlviii., Jacob, while blessing the two sons 
of Joseph, says : “ Let them grow into a multitude in the 
midst of the earth. ” In the same blessing, it is said of 
Ephraim, “His seed shall become a multitude of na- 
tions.” Now put the sense of these sayings together, 
and it makes Ephraim a multitude of nations in 
the midst of the earth. In Genesis xlix. it is 
prophesied concerning Joseph, while Jacob was bless- 
ing him, that he should be “a fruitful bough by 
a well, whose branches run over the wall: the 
archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, 
and hated him, but his bow abode in strength.” 
Again, he further says : ‘ ‘ The blessings of thy father 
have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, 
unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills ; they 
shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the 
head of him that was separate from his brethren.” Now 
I ask, Who was Jacob’s progenitors, and what was the 
blessing they conferred upon him ? Abraham and Isaac 
were his progenitors, and the land of Canaan was the 
blessing they conferred upon him, or that God promised 
them he should possess. Recollect that Jacob confers on 
Joseph a much greater land than that of Canaan ; even 
greater than his fathers had conferred upon him, for 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN I NDIANS. 97 


Joseph’s blessing was to extend to the utmost bound of 
the everlasting hills. Now, reader, stand fin Egypt, 
where Jacob then stood, and measure to the utmost 
bound of the everlasting hills, and you will land some- 
where in the central part of America. Again, one of the 
Prophets says, in speaking of Ephraim : ‘‘When the 
Lord shall roar, the children of Ephraim shall tremble 
from the west.” Now let us sum up these sayings, and 
what have we gained ? First, that Ephraim was to grow 
into a multitude of nations in the midst of the earth ; 
second, Joseph was to be greatly blessed in a large in- 
heritance, as far off as America ; third, this was to be on 
the west of Egypt or Jerusalem. 

Now let the world search from pole to pole, and 
they will not find a multitude of nations in the midst 
of the earth, who can possibly have sprung from Eph- 
raim, unless they find them in America; for the midst 
of all other parts of the earth is inhabited by mixed 
races, who have sprung from various sources; while 
here an almost boundless country was secluded from the 
rest of the world, and inhabited*, by a race of men, evi- 
dently of the same origin, although as evidently divided 
into many nations. Now, the Scriptures cannot be bro- 
ken ; therefore, these Scriptures must apply to America, 
for the plainest of reasons, they can apply to no other 
place. 

Now, secondly, we are to prove that God revealed 
himself to the seed of Joseph or Ephraim— their location 
we have already proved — dwelling in America. For 
this, we quote Hosea, viii. 12 ; speaking of Ephraim, he 
says by the spirit of prophecy : “ I have written to him 
the great things of my law, but they were counted as a 


98 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


strange thing.” This is proof positive and needs no 
comment, that the great truths of Heaven were re- 
vealed unto Ephraim, and were counted as a strange 
thing. 

Third. Were these writings to come forth just pre- 
viously to the gathering of Israel ? Answer ; they were, 
according to Ezekiel, 37th chapter, where God com- 
manded him to “ Take one stick, and write upon it For 
Judah, and the children of Israel his companions ; 
then take another stick, and write upon it For Joseph, 
the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel 
his companions ; and join them one to another, into one 
stick, and they shall become one in thine hand. And 
when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, 
saying, Wilt not thou show us what thou meanest by 
these ? say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, 
I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of 
Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will 
put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and 
make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine 
hand ; and the sticks^ whereon thou writest shall be 
in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, 
Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the chil- 
dren of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be 
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring 
them into their own land ; and I will make them one 
nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ; and 
one king shall be king to them all : and they shall be 
no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into 
two kingdoms any more at all.” 

Now nothing can be more plain than the above 
prophecy : there are presented two writings, the one to 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 99 


Ephraim, the other '<?> Judah ; that of Ephraim is to be 
brought forth by the Lord, and put with that of Judah, 
and they are to become one in their testimony, and 
grow together in this manner, in order to bring about 
the gathering of Israel. The 85th Psalm is very plain 
on the subject : speaking of the restoration of Israel to 
their own land, it says, “Mercy and Truth are met 
together; Righteousness and Peace have kissed each 
other. Truth shall spring out of the earth: and 
Righteousness shall look down from heaven. Yea, the 
Lord shall give that which is good ; and our land shall 
yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him, 
and shall set us in the way of his steps.” Now the Sa- 
vior, while praying for his disciples, said : “ Sanctify 
them through thy truth — thy word is truth," From 
these passages we learn, that his word is to spring out of 
the earth, while Righteousness looks down from heaven. 
And the next thing that follows is, that Israel are set in 
the way of his steps, and partaking of the fruit of their 
own land. Jeremiah, xxxiii. 6, speaking of the final 
return from captivity of both Judah and Israel, says : “I 
will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and 
truth.” And Isaiah, speaking of the everlasting cove- 
nant which should gather them, makes this extraordi- 
nary and very remarkable expression : “ Their seed shall 
be known amongst the Gentiles, and their offspring 
among the people.” Now, reader, let me ask, can any 
one tell whether the Indians of America are of Israel, 
unless by revelation from God ? Therefore this was a 
hidden mystery, which it was necessary to reveal in 
time for their gathering. 

So much, then, we have produced from the Scrip- 


100 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


tures, in proof of a work, like the book of Mormon, 
making its appearance in these days : to say nothing of 
Isaiah xxix. But, says one, “ What is the use of the 
Book of Mormon, even if it be true?” I answer: 
First, it brings to light an important history, before un- 
known to man. Second, it reveals the origin of the 
American Indians, which was before a mystery. Third, 
it contains important prophecies, yet to be fulfilled, 
which immediately concern the present generation. 
Fourth, it contains much plainness in regard to points 
of doctrine, insomuch that all may understand, and see 
eye to eye, if they take pains to read it. 

“But what are its proofs, as to chosen witnesses 
who testify to its translation by inspiration ? ” For this 
testimony, I refer the reader to the testimony of the 
witnesses in the first page of the Book of Mormon ; he 
will there find as positive testimony as has ever been 
found in the other Scriptures, concerning any truth 
which God ever revealed. Men there testify, not only 
that they have seen’ and handled the plates, but that an 
angel of God came down from heaven, and presented 
the plates before them, while the glory of God shone 
round about them, and the voice of God spoke from 
heaven, and told them that these things were true, and 
had been translated by the gift and power of God, 
and commanded them to bear record of the same to all 
people. 

Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, He has 
visited his people, and the day-spring from on high has 
dawned upon our benighted world once more ; for no 
sooner had the Book been translated, and men begun to 
bear record of the same, than the angel of the Lord 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 101 


came down from heaven again, and commissioned men to 
preach the Gospel to every creature, and to baptize with 
water for the remission of sins. No sooner did the peo- 
ple begin to believe their testimony, and be baptized, 
than the Holy Ghost fell upon them, through the laying 
on of hands in the name of Jesus ; and the heavens were 
opened ; and while some had the ministering of angels, 
others began to speak in other tongues, and prophesy. 
From that time forth, many of them were healed by the 
laying on of hands in the name of Jesus ; and thus might- 
ily grew the word of God, and prevailed. And thus, 
thousands have been raised up to testify that they do 
know for themselves, and are not dependent on the 
testimony of any man, for the truth of these things, for 
these signs follow them that believe. And when a man 
believes the truth, through the testimony of God’s wit- 
nesses, and then these signs follow, not only them, but 
him also ; if he has the ministering of angels, if he has 
been healed, or heals others, by the laying on of hands 
in the name of Jesus, or if he speaks in other tongues, 
or prophesies, he knows it for himself ; and thus is 
fulfilled the saying of Scripture, “ If any man do my 
will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of 
God.” Thus faith comes by hearing, and knowledge by 
obeying ; but hearing comes by preaching, and preach- 
ing comes by sending ; as it is written — “ How shall 
they preach, except they be sent? ” But there are many 
who say — “ Show us a sign, and we will believe.” Re- 
member, faith comes not by signs, but signs come by 
faith. Gifts were not given to make men believe ; but 
what saith the Scripture , 1 ‘ Gifts are for the edifying of the 
Church.” If otherwise, why was it not written— “ Faith 


102 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


comes by miracles?” instead of “ Faith comes by hear- 
ing.” I always take it for granted, that a man or 
woman who comes demanding a sign, in order to make 
them believe, belongs to a wicked and adulterous gener- 
ation, at least, to say no worse ; for any person who will 
go to Jesus, with a pure heart, desiring and praying in 
faith, that he may know the truth concerning these 
things, the Lord will reveal it to him, and he shall 
know, and shall bear testimony, for by the Spirit of God 
they shall know truth from error: as it is written — f ‘ My 
sheep hear my voice.” And he that will not come unto 
Jesus by faith, shall never know the truth, until, too 
late, he finds the harvest is over, and the summer is 
ended, and his soul not saved. 

Thus the religion of Jesus, unlike all other religious 
systems, bears its own weight, and brings certainty and 
knowledge, leaving no room for imposition. And now 
I say unto all people, Come unto the Father in the name 
of Jesus; doubt not, but be believing, as in days of old, 
and ask in faith for whatsoever you stand in need of ; 
ask not that you may consume it on your lusts, but ask 
with a firmness not to be shaken, that you will yield to 
no temptation, but that you will keep his command- 
ments, as fast as he makes them manifest unto you ; and 
if ye do this, and He reveals to you that He has sent us 
with a new and everlasting covenant, and commanded 
us to preach, and baptize, and build up His Church as 
in days of old, then come forward and obey the truth; 
but if you do not know, or are not satisfied that He has 
sent us, then do not embrace the doctrine we preach. 
Thus to your own master you shall stand or fall ; and 
one day you shall know, yea, in that great day, when 


ORIQIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS, 103 


every knee shall bow, then shall you know that God has 
sent us with the truth, to prune His vineyard for the last 
time, with a mighty pruning. 

We shall now introduce much circumstantial evi- 
dence, from American antiquities, and from the tradi- 
tions of the natives, &c. : 

First, says Mr. Boudinot: “It is said among their 
principal or beloved men, that they have it handed 
down from their ancestors, that the Book which the 
white people have, was once theirs : that while they had 
it they prospered exceedingly, &c. They also say, that 
their fathers were possessed of an extraordinary Divine 
Spirit, by which they foretold future events, and con- 
trolled the common course of nature ; and this they 
transmitted to their offspring, on condition of their 
obeying the sacred laws ; that they did, by these means, 
bring down showers of blessings upon their beloved 
people ; but that this power, for a long time past, had 
entirely ceased.” Colonel James Smith, in his journal, 
while a prisoner among the natives, says : “ They have 
a tradition, that in the beginning of this continent, the 
angels or heavenly inhabitants, as they call them, fre- 
quently visited the people, and talked with their fore- 
fathers, and gave directions how to pray.” 

Mr. Boudinot, in his able work, remarks concerning 
their language: “Their language, in its roots, idiom, 
and particular construction, appears to have the whole 
genius of the Hebrew ; and what is very remarkable, 
and well worthy of serious attention, has most of the 
peculiarities of that language, especially those in which 
it differs from most other languages.” There is a tradi- 
tion related by an aged Indian, of the Stockbridge tribe, 


104 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


that their fathers'were once in possession of a “ Sacred 
Book,” which was handed down from generation to gen- 
eration ; and at last hid in the earth, since which time 
they had been under the feet of their enemies. But 
these oracles were to be restored to them again; and 
then they would triumph over their enemies, and regain 
their rights and privileges. Mr. Boudin ot, after record- 
ing many traditions similar to the above, at length re- 
marks : “ Can any man read this short account of Indian 
traditions, drawn from tribes of various nations ; from 
the west to the east, and from the south to the north, 
wholly separated from each other, written by different 
authors of the best character, both for knowledge and 
integrity, possessing the best means of information, at 
various and distant times, without any possible com- 
munication with each other ; and yet suppose that all 
this is the effect of chance, accident, or design, from a 
love of the marvelous, or a premeditated intention of 
deceiving, and thereby ruining their well-established 
reputation ? Can any one carefully, and with deep re- 
flection, consider and Compare these traditions and na- 
tions with the position and circumstances of the long 
lost Ten Tribes of Israel, without at least'drawing some 
presumptive inferences in favor of these wandering na- 
tives being descended from the Ten Tribes of Israel? 

“Joseph Merrick, Esq., a highly respectable charac- 
ter in Pitsfleld, Mass., gave the following account : That 
in 1815, he was levelling some ground under and near 
an old wood-shed standing on a place of his, situated on 
Indian Hill . He ploughed and conveyed away old 
chips and earth to some depth. After the workVas 
done, walking over the place, he discovered, near where 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 105 


the earth had been dug the deepest, a black strap, as it 
appeared, about six inches in length, and one and a 
half in breadth, and about the thickness of a leather 
trace to a harness. He perceived it had, at each end, a 
loop of some hard substance, probably for the purpose 
of carrying it. He conveyed it to his house, and threw 
it into an old tool box. He afterwards found it thrown 
out at the door, and again conveyed it to the box. 

‘‘After some time, he thought he would examine it ; 
but in attempting to cut it, found it as hard as bone ; he 
succeeded however in getting it open, and found it was 
formed of two pieces of thick raw hide, sewed and made 
water-tight with the sinews of some animal, and gum- 
med over ; and in the fold was contained four folded 
pieces of parchment. They were of a dark yellow hue, 
and contained some kind of writing. The neighbors 
coming in to see the strange discovery, tore one of the 
pieces to atoms, in the true Hun and Vandal style. The 
other three pieces Mr. Merrick saved, and sent them to 
Cambridge, where they were examined, and discovered 
to have been written with a pen, in Hebrew , plain and 
legible. The writing on the three remaining pieces of 
parchment, was quotations from the Old Testament. 
See Deut., chap, vi., from 4th to 9th verses inclusive ; also 
chap, xi., verse 13th to 21st inclusive ; and Exodus, chap, 
xiii., 11th to 16th inclusive, to which the reader can refer, 
if he has the curiosity to read this most interesting dis- 
covery.” 

“On the banks of White River, in Arkansas Terri- 
tory, have been found ruins erected no doubt by an en- 
lightened population, of the most extraordinary charac- 
ter, on account of their dimensions, and the materials of 


106 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


which they were erected. One of these works is a wall 
of earth, which encloses an area of six hundred and 
forty acres, equal to a mile square, and having, in its 
centre, the foundation of a large circular building, or 
temple. Another, yet more strange, and more extensive, 
consists of the foundations of a great city, whose streets, 
crossing each other at right angles, are easily traced 
through the mighty forest. And besides these are found 
the foundations of houses, made of burnt bricks, like the 
bricks of the present times. These have been traced to 
the extent of a mile.” 

The foregoing is taken from Priest’s American An- 
tiquities, and from the same work we extract the follow- 
ing, page 246 : 

“Ruins of the City of Otolum, discovered in North 
America. — In a letter of C. S. Rafinesque, whom we 
have before quoted, to a correspondent in Europe, we 
find the following: ‘Some years ago, the society of 
geography, in Paris, offered a large premium for a voy- 
age to Guatemala, and for a new survey of the antiqui- 
ties of Yucatan and Chiapa, chiefly those fifteen miles 
from Palenque.’ ” 

‘‘I have, 5 ’ says this author, “ restored to them the 
true name of Otolum , which is yet the name of the 
stream running through the ruins. They were surveyed 
by Captain Del Rio, in 1787, an account of which was 
published in English, in 1822. This account describes 
partly the ruins of a stone city, of no less dimensions 
than^seventy-five miles in circuit; length, thirty-two, 
and breadth twelve miles, full of palaces, monuments, 
statues, and inscriptions; one of the earliest seats of 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 107 


American civilization ; about equal to Thebes of ancient 
Egypt.” 

It is stated in the family magazine, No. 34, p. 266, 
for 1833, as follows : ,f Public attention has been recently 
excited, respecting the ruins of an ancient city, found 
in Guatemala. It would seem, that these ruins are now 
being explored, and much curious and valuable matter, 
in a literary and historical point of view, is anticipated. 
We deem the present a most auspicious moment, now 
that the public attention is turned to the subject, to 
spread its contents before our readers, as an introduc- 
tion to future discoveries, during the researches now in 
progress.” 

The following are some of the particulars, as related 
by Captain Del Rio, who partially examined them, as 
above related, in 1787 : “ From Palenque, the last town 
northward in the province of Ciudad Real de Chiapa , 
taking a south-westerly direction, and ascending a ridge 
of high land, that divides the kingdom of Guatemala 
from Yucatan, at the distance of six miles, is the little 
river Micol , whose waters flow in a westerly direction, 
and unite with the great river Tulijah , which bends its 
course towards the province of Tobasco. Having passed 
Micol, the ascent begins, and at half a league, or a mile 
and a half, the traveler crosses a little stream called 
Otolum ; from this point heaps of stone ruins are dis- 
covered, which render the roads very difficult for an- 
other half league, when you gain the height whereon 
the stone houses are situated, being still fourteeen in 
number in one place, some more dilapidated than others, 
yet still having many of their apartments perfectly dis- 
cernible. These stand on a rectangular area, three hun- 


108 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


dred yards in breadth by four hundred and fifty in 
length, which is a fraction over fifty-six rods wide, and 
eighty-four rods long, being in the whole circuit, two 
hundred and eighty rods, which is three fourths of a 
mile, and a trifle over. This area presents a plain at the 
base of the highest mountain forming the ridge. In the 
centre of this plain is situated the largest of the struc- 
tures which has been as yet discovered among these 
ruins. It stands on a mound, or pyramid, twenty yards 
high, which is sixty feet, or nearly four rods, in perpen- 
dicular altitude, which gives it a lofty and beautiful 
majesty, as if it were a temple suspended in the sky. 
This is surrounded by other edifices, namely, five to the 
northward, four to the southward, one to the south-west, 
and three to the eastward, fourteen in all. 

“In all directions, the fragments of other fallen 
buildings are seen extending along the mountain, that 
stretches east and west either way from these buildings, 
as if it were the great temple of worship, or their gov- 
ernment-house, around which they built their city, and 
where dwelt their kings and oflicers of state. At this 
place was found a subterranean stone aqueduct, of great 
solidity and durability, which in its course passes be- 
neath the largest building.” 

Let it be understood, this city of Otolum, the ruins 
of which are so immense, is in North, not South, Amer- 
ica, in the same latitude with the island of Jamaica, 
which is about eighteen degrees north of the equator, 
being on the highest ground between the northern end 
of the Carribean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, where the 
continent narrows towards the Isthmus of Darien, and 
is about eight hundred miles south of New Orleans. 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 109 


The discovery of these ruins, and also of many 
others, equally wonderful, in the same country, is just 
commencing to arouse the attention of the schools of 
Europe, which hitherto have denied that America could 
boast of her antiquities. But these immense ruins are 
now being explored under the direction of scientific 
persons, a history of which, in detail, will, doubtless, 
be forthcoming in due time; two volumes of which, in 
manuscript, we are informed, have already been written, 
and cannot but be received with enthusiasm by Amer- 
cans. 

A gentleman who was living near the town of 
Cincinnati, in 1826, on the upper level, had occasion to 
sink a well for his accommodation ; he persevered in 
digging to the depth of eighty feet, without finding 
water ; but still persisting in the attempt, his workmen 
found themselves obstructed by a substance, which re- 
sisted their labor, though evidently not stone. They 
cleared the surface and sides from the earth bedded 
around it, when there appeared the stump of a tree, 
three feet in diameter, and two feet high, which had 
been cut down with an axe. The blows of the axe were 
yet visible. It was nearly of the color and apparent 
character of coal, but had not the friable and fusible 
quality of that substance. Ten feet below, the water 
sprang up, and the well is now in constant supply and 
high repute. 

In Morse’s Universal Geography, first volume, p. 142, 
the discovery of the stump is corroborated : “In digging 
a well in Cincinnati, the stump of a tree was found in a 
sound state, ninety feet below the surface; and in 
digging another well, at the same place, another stump 


110 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


was found, at ninety-four feet below the surface, which 
had evident marks of the axe; and on its top there 
appeared as if some iron tool had been consumed by 
rust.’ 7 

We might fill a volume with accounts of American 
antiquities, all going to show that this country has been 
inhabited by a people who possessed a knowledge of the 
arts and sciences, who built cities, cultivated the earth, 
and who were in possession of a written language. But 
the things which we have here introduced are abun- 
dantly sufficient for our purpose. If a few characters in 
Hebrew have been found in the earth in America, 
written on parchment, then it is just as easy to admit 
that a whole volume has been found in the earth in Amer- 
ica, written on plates, in Egyptian characters. The aston- 
ishing facts of the stumps found eighty or ninety feet 
under ground at Cincinnati, and similar discoveries in 
many other parts of North and South America, such as 
buried cities, and other antiquities, all go to prove, that 
there has been a mighty convulsion and revolution, not 
only of nations, but of nature; and such a convulsion 
as is nowhere else so reasonably accounted for, as in the 
following extraordinary and wonderful account of 
events, which transpired in this country, during the 
crucifixion of Messiah, which we extract from the Book 
of Mormon, Nephi, v. 2—11. 

“ And it came to pass, in the thirty and fourth year, 
in the first month, in the fourth day of the month, there 
arose a great storm, such an one as never had been 
known in all the land ; and there was also a great and 
terrible tempest ; and there was terrible thunder, inso- 
much that it did shake the whole earth, as if it was 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. Ill 

about to divide asunder; and there were exceeding 
sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all 
the land. And the city of Zarahemladid take fire ; and 
the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, 
and the inhabitants thereof were drowned ; and the 
earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah, that, 
in the place of the city thereof, there became a great 
mountain ; and there was a great and terrible destruc- 
tion in the land southward. But, behold, there was a 
more great and terrible destruction in the land north- 
ward; for, behold, the whole face of the land was 
changed, because of the tempest, and the whirlwinds, 
and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the ex- 
ceeding great quaking of the whole earth ; and the high- 
ways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, 
and many smooth places became rough, and many great 
and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, 
and many were shook till the buildings thereof had 
fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were 
slain, and the places were left desolate ; and there were 
some cities which remained, but the damage thereof was 
exceeding great, and there were many in them who 
were slain, and there were some who were carried away 
in the whirlwind, and whither they went, no man 
knoweth, save they know that they were carried away ; 
and thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, 
because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the 
lightnings, and the quaking of the earth. And, behold, 
the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up 
upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they 
were found in broken fragments, and in seams, and in 
cracks, upon all the face of the land. 


112 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


“ And it came to pass, that when the thunderings, 
and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and 
the quakings of the earth did cease— for, behold, they 
did last for about the space of three hours ; and it was 
said by some that the time was greater ; nevertheless, 
all these great and terrible things were done in about 
the space of three hours; and then, behold, there was 
darkness upon the face of the land. 

“And it came to pass that there was a thick dark- 
ness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the in- 
habitants thereof, who had not fallen, could feel the 
vapor of darkness ; and there could be no light because 
of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches ; neith- 
er could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceed- 
ing dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all ; 
and there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glim- 
mer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so 
great were the mists of darkness which were upon the 
face of the land. 

“ And it came to pass, that it did last for the space 
of three days, that there was no light seen ; and there 
was great mourning, and howling, and weeping among 
all the people continually ; yea, great were the groan ings 
of the people, because of the darkness and great destruc- 
tion which had come upon them. And in one place 
they were heard to cry, saying, O that we had repented 
before this great and terrible day, and then would our 
brethren have been spared, and they would not have 
been burned in that great city Zarahemla ! And in an- 
other place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying, 
O that we had repented before this great and terrible 
day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets and cast 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 113 


them out ; then would our mothers, and our fair daugh- 
ters, and our children have been spared, and not have 
been buried up in that great city Moronihah ; and thus 
were the howlings of the people great and terrible. 

‘‘And it came to pass, that there was a voice heard 
among all the inhabitants of the earth upon all the face 
of this land, crying, Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo 
unto the inhabitants of the whole earth, except they 
shall repent, for the devil laugheth, and his angels re- 
joice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters 
of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and 
abominations that they are fallen. Behold, that great city 
Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants 
thereof. And behold, that great city Moroni have I 
caused to be sunk in the depth of the sea, and the inhabi- 
tants thereof to be drowned. And behold, that great city 
Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabi- 
tants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abomi- 
nations from before my face, that the blood of the 
prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto 
me against them. And behold the city of Gilgal 
have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof 
to be buried up in the depths of the earth : yea, 
and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, 
and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and 
the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof, and 
waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, 
to hide their wickedness and abominations from before 
my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints 
shall not come up any more unto me against them. 
And behold the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadi- 
omnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, 


114 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and 
valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants 
thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to 
hide their wickedness and abominations from before my 
face, that the blood of the prophets and saints should 
not come up any more unto me against them. And be- 
hold that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited 
by the people of the king of Jacob, have I caused to be 
burned with fire, because of their sins and their wick- 
edness, w T hich was above all the wickedness of the 
whole earth, because of their secret murders and combi- 
nations ; for it was they that did destroy the peace of 
my people and the government of the land : therefore 
I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from be- 
fore my face, that the blood of the prophets and the 
saints should not come up unto me any more against 
them. And behold the city of Laman, and the city of 
Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, 
have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabi- 
tants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out 

0 

the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to de- 
clare unto them concerning their wickedness and their 
abominations ; and because they did cast them all out, 
that there were none righteous among them, I did send 
down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and 
abominations might be hid from before my face, that 
the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent 
among them might not cry unto me from the ground 
against them; and many great destructions have I 
caused to come upon this land and upon this people, be- 
cause of their wickedness and their abominations. 

“ O, all ye that are spared, because ye were more 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 115 


righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, 
and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may 
heal you? Yea, verily, I say unto you, if ye will come 
unto me, ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm 
of mercy is extended towards you, and whomsoever 
will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those 
who come unto me. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the son of 
God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things 
that in them are. I was with the Father from the be- 
ginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me ; and 
in me hath the Father glorified his name. I came unto 
my own, and my own received me not. And the Scrip- 
tures concerning my coming are fulfilled. And as many 
as have received me, to them have I given to become 
the sons of God ; and even so will I to as many as shall 
believe on my name, for, behold, by me redemption 
cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. I am the 
light and life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, 
the beginning and the end. And ye shall offer up unto 
me no more the shedding of blood : yea, ybur sacrifices 
and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will 
accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt-offerings ; 
and ye shall offer, for a sacrifice unto me, a broken heart 
and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with 
a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I bap- 
tize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the 
Lamanites, because of their faith in me, at the time of 
their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the 
Holy Ghost, and they knew it not. Behold, I have come 
unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to 
save the world from sin: therefore whoso repenteth 
and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive; 




116 


THE BOOK OF MORMON. 


for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I 
have laid down my life, and have taken it up again : 
therefore repent and come unto me, ye ends of the earth, 
and be saved. 

“And now, behold it came to pass, that all the peo- 
ple of the land did hear these sayings ; and did witness 
of it. And after these sayings, there was silence in the 
land for the space of many hours : for so great was the 
astonishment of the people that they did cease lament- 
ing and howling for the loss of their kindred which had 
been slain ; therefore there was silence in all the land 
for the space of many hours. 

“ And it came to pass, that there came a voice again 
unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did 
witness of it, saying, O ye people of these great cities 
which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob ; yea, 
who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered 
you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, 
and have nourished you. And again, how oft would I 
have gathered you, as a hen gathereth her chickens 
under her wings; yea, O ye people of the house of 
Israel, who have fallen ; yea, O ye people of the house of 
Israel ; ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen : 
yea, how oft would I have gathered you, as a hen gath- 
ereth her chickens, and ye would not. O ye house of 
Israel, whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you, 
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye 
will repent and return unto me with full purpose of 
heart. But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your 
dwellings shall become desolate, until the time of the 
fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers. 

“ And now it came to pass, that after the people had 


ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 117 

heard these words, behold they began to weep and 
howl again, because of the loss of their kindred and 
friends. And it came to pass that thus did three days 
pass away. And it was in the morning, and the 
darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and 
the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease 
to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all 
the tumultuous noises did pass away and the earth did 
cleave together again, that it stood ; and the mourning, 
and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who 
were spared alive, did cease, and their mourning was 
turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise 
and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Re- 
deemer. And thus far were the Scriptures fulfilled, 
which had been spoken by the prophets.” 

Here, then, is an account which shows, clearly and 
definitely, how and when the American antiquities be- 
came buried ; how the stumps of trees were placed eighty 
or ninety feet under ground; how cities were sunk, and 
overwhelmed; how mountains fell and valleys rose; 
how the rocks were rent, and how the whole face of the 
continent became altered and deformed. We now close 
this subject by saying to all the people, if you wish in- 
formation on the antiquities of America; if you wish 
historical, prophetical, or doctrinal information of the 
highest importance, read carefully the Book of Mormon. 


118 


THE RESURRECTION 


CHAPTER V. 

THE RESURRECTION OF THE SAINTS, AND THE RESTO- 
RATION OF ALL THINGS SPOKEN BY THE PROPHETS. 

This is one of the most important subjects upon which 
the human mind can contemplate; and one perhaps as 
little understood, in the present age, as any other now 
lying over the face of prophecy. But however neg- 
lected at the present time, it was once the ground-work 
of the faith, hope, and joy of the Saints. It was a cor- 
rect understanding of this subject, and firm belief in it, 
that influenced all their movements. Their minds once 
fastening upon it, they could not be shaken from their 
purposes; their faith was firm, their joy constant, and 
their hope like an anchor to the soul, both sure and 
steadfast, reaching to that within the veil. It was this 
that enabled them to rejoice in the midst of tribulation, 
persecution, sword, and flame ; and in view of this, they 
took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and gladly 
wandered as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For 
they sought a country, a city, and an inheritance that 
none but a Saint ever thought of, understood, or even 
hoped for. 

Now we can never understand precisely what is 
meant by restoration, unless we understand what is lost 
or taken away ; for instance, when we offer to restore 
anything to a man, it is as much as to say he once pos- 
sessed it, but had lost it, and we propose to replace, or 
put him in ossession of, that which he once had ; there- 


and restoration. 


119 


fore, when a Prophet speaks of the restoration of all 
things, he means that all things have undergone a 
change, and are to be again restored to their primitive 
order, even as they first existed. 

First, then, it becomes necessary for us to take a view 
of creation, as it rolled in purity from the hand of its 
Creator; and if we can discover the true state in which 
it then existed, and understand the changes that have 
taken place since, then we shall be able to understand 
what is to be restored ; and thus, our minds being pre- 
pared, we shall be looking for the very things which 
will come, and shall be in no danger of lifting our puny 
arm in ignorance, to oppose the things of God. 

First, then, we will take a view of the earth, as to 
its surface, local situation, and productions. 

When God had created the heavens and the earth, 
and separated the light from the darkness, His next 
great command was to the waters, Gen. i. 9. “And God 
said, Let the waters under the heaven, be gathered to- 
gether into one place, and let the dry land appear: and 
it was so .’ 1 From this we learn a marvellous fact, 
which very few have ever realized or believed in this 
benighted age ; we learn that the waters, which are now 
divided into oceans, seas, and lakes, were then all 
gathered together, into one vast ocean; and, conse- 
quently, that the land, which is now torn asunder, and 
divided into continents and islands, almost innumerable, 
was then one vast continent or body, not separated as it 
now is. 

Second, we hear the Lord God pronounce the earth, 
as well as everything else, very good. From this we 
learn that there were neither deserts, barren places 


120 


THE RESURRECTION 


stagnant swamps, rough, broken, rugged hills ; nor vast 
mountains covered with eternal snow ; and no part of 
it was located in the frigid zone, so as to render its cli- 
mate dreary and unproductive, subject to eternal frost, 
or everlasting chains of ice — 

Where no sweet flowers the dreary landscape cheer, 

Nor plenteous harvests crown the passing year; 

but the whole earth was probably one vast plain, or in- 
terspersed with gently rising hills, and sloping vales, 
well calculated for cultivation; while its climate was 
delightfully varied, with the moderate changes of heat 
and cold, of wet and dry, which only tended to crown 
the varied year with the greater variety of productions, 
all for the good of man, animal, fowl, or creeping thing; 
while from the flowery plain or spicy grove, sweet odors 
were wafted on every breeze ; and all the vast creation 
of animated being breathed naught but health, and 
peace, and joy. 

Next, we learn from Gen.i. 29, 30: “And God said, 
Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, 
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, 
in which is the fruit of a tree, yielding seed ; to you it 
shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and 
to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth 
upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every 
green herb for meat : and it was so.” From these verses 
we learn, that the earth yielded neither nauseous weeds 
nor poisonous plants, nor useless thorns and thistles ; 
indeed every thing that grew was just calculated for the 
food of man, beast, fowl, and creeping thing; and their 
food was all vegetable. Flesh and blood were never sac. 


AND RESTORATION. 


121 


rificed to glut their souls, or gratify their appetites ; the 
beasts of the earth were all in perfect harmony with 
each other; the lion ate straw like the ox, the wolf 
dwelt with the lamb, the leopard lay down with the kid, 
the cow and bear fed together, in the same pasture, while 
their young ones reposed, in perfect security, under the 
shade of the same trees; all was peace and harmony 
and nothing to hurt nor disturb, in all the holy 
mountain. 

And to crown the whole, we behold man created in 
the image of God, and exalted in dignity and power, 
having dominion over all the vast creation of animated 
beings, which swarmed through the earth, while, at the 
same time, he inhabits a beautiful and well-watered 
garden, in the midst of which stood the tree of life, to 
which he had free access ; while he stood in the presence 
of his Maker, conversed with Him face to face, and gaz- 
ed upon His glory, without a dimming veil between. O 
reader, contemplate, for a moment, the beautiful crea- 
tion, clothed with peace and plenty; the earth teeming 
with harmless animals, rejoicing over all the plain ; the 
air swarming with delightful birds, whose never-ceasing 
notes filled the air with varied melody ; and all in sub- 
jection to their rightful sovereign who rejoiced over 
them ; while in a delightful garden — the capitol of crea- 
tion, man was seated on the throne of this vast empire, 
swaying his sceptre over all the earth with undisputed 
right; while legions of angels encamped round about 
him, and joined their glad voices in grateful songs of 
praise, and shouts of joy ; neither a sigh nor groan was 
heard throughout the vast expanse ; neither were there 
sorrow, tears, pain, weeping, sickness, nor death; 


122 


THE RESURRECTION 


neither contentions, wars, nor bloodshed ; but peace 
crowned the seasons as they rolled, and life, joy, and 
love reigned over all God’s works. But, Oh! how 
changed the scene. 

It now becomes my painful duty, to trace some of 
the important changes which have taken place, and the 
causes which have conspired to reduce the earth and its 
inhabitants to their present state. 

First, man fell from his standing before God, by 
giving heed to temptation ; and this fall affected the 
whole creation, as well as man, and caused various 
changes to take place ; he was banished from the pres- 
ence of his Creator, and a veil was drawn between them, 
and man was driven from the garden of Eden, to till the 
earth, which was then cursed for his sake, and should 
begin to bring forth thorns and thistles ; and with the 
sweat of his face he should earn his bread, and in sor- 
row eat of it, all the days of his life, and finally return 
to dust. But as to Eve, her curse was a great multiplic- 
ity of sorrow and conception ; and between her seed and 
the seed of the serpent there was to be a constant 
enmity, it should bruise the serpent’s head, and the ser- 
pent should bruise his heel. 

Now, reader, contemplate the change. This scene, 
which was so beautiful a little before, had now become 
the abode of sorrow and toil, of death and mourning : 
the earth groaning with its production of accursed thorns 
and thistles; man and beast at enmity; the serpent 
slyly creeping away, fearing lest his head should get 
the deadly bruise ; and man startling amid the thorny 
path, in fear, lest the serpent’s fangs should pierce his 
heel ; while the lamb yields his blood upon the smoking 


and restoration. 


123 


altar. Soon man begins to persecute, hate, and murder 
his fellow, until at length the earth is filled with vio- 
lence, all flesh becomes corrupt, the powers of darkness 
prevail, and it repented Noah that God had made 
man, and it grieved him at his heart, because the Lord 
should come out in vengeance, and cleanse the earth by 
water. 

How far the flood may have contributed to produce 
the various changes, as to the division of the earth into 
broken fragments, islands and continents, mountains 
and valleys, we have not been informed ; the change 
must have been considerable. But after the flood, in the 
days of Peleg, the earth was divided. See Gen. x. 25. 
A short history, to be sure, of so great an event; but 
still it will account for the mighty revolution which 
rolled the sea from its own place in the north, and 
brought it to interpose between different portions of the 
earth, which were thus parted asunder, and moved into 
something near their present form; this, together with the 
earthquakes, revolutions, and commotions which have 
since taken place, have all contributed to reduce the face 
of the earth to its present state ; while the great curses 
which have fallen upon different portions, because of the 
wickedness of men, will account for the stagnant swamps, 
the sunken lakes, the dead seas, the great deserts; wit- 
ness, for instance, the denunciations of the Prophets 
upon Babylon, how it was to become perpetual desola- 
tions, a den of wild beasts, a dwelling of unclean and 
hateful birds, a place for owls; and should never be 
inhabited, but should lie desolate from generation to 
generation. Witness also the plains of Sodom, filled 
with towns, cities, and flourishing gardens, well 


124 


THE RESURRECTION 


watered ; but Oh, how changed ! A vast sea of stagnant 
water alone marks the place. Witness the land of 
Palestine, in the days of Solomon, it was capable of sus- 
taining millions of people, besides yielding a surplus of 
wheat, and other productions, which were exchanged 
with the neighboring nations ; whereas, now it is deso- 
late, and hardly capable of sustaining a few miserable 
inhabitants. And when I cast mine eyes over our own 
land, and see the numerous swamps, lakes, and ponds of 
stagnant waters, together with the vast mountains, and 
innumerable rough places, rocks having been rent, and 
torn asunder, from centre to circumference, I exclaim, 
Whence all this ! 

When I read the Book of Mormon, it informs me, 
that while Christ was crucified among the Jews, this 
whole American continent was shaken to its foundation, 
that many cities were sunk, and waters came up in their 
places ; that the rocks were all rent in twain ; that 
mountains were thrown up to an exceeding height ; 
and that other mountains became valleys ; the level 
roads spoiled, and the whole face of the land changed. 
I then exclaim, These things are no longer a mystery ; 
I have now learned to account for the many wonders, 
which I everywhere behold, throughout our whole 
country. When I am passing a ledge of rocks, and see 
they have all been rent and torn asunder, while some 
huge fragments are found deeply imbedded in the earth, 
some rods from whence they were torn, I exclaim, with 
astonishment, These were the groans! the convulsive 
throes of agonizing nature ! while the Son of God suf- 
fered upon the cross ! 

But men have degenerated, and greatly changed, as 


AND RESTORATION. 


125 


well as the earth. The sins, the abominations, and the 
many evil habits of the latter ages, have added to the 
miseries, toils, and sufferings of human life. The idle- 
ness, extravagance, pride, covetousness, drunkenness, 
and other abominations, which are characteristics of the 
latter times, have all combined to sink mankind to the 
lowest state of wretchedness and degradation ; while 
priestcraft and false doctrines have greatly tended to 
lull mankind to sleep, and cause them to rest infinitely 
short of the powers and attainments which the ancients 
enjoyed, and which are alone calculated to exalt the in- 
tellectual powers of the human mind, to establish noble 
and generous sentiments, to enlarge the heart, and to 
expand the soul to the utmost extent of its capacity. 
Witness the ancients conversing with the Great Jeho- 
vah, learning lessons from the angels, and receiving in- 
struction by the Holy Ghost, in dreams by night, and 
visions by day, until at length the veil is taken off, and 
they are permitted to gaze, with wonder and admira- 
tion, upon all things past and future; yea, even to soar 
aloft amid unnumbered worlds, while the vast expanse 
of eternity stands open before them, and they contem- 
plate the mighty works of the Great I AM, until they 
know as they are known, and see as they are seen. 

Compare this intelligence with the low smatterings of 
education and worldly wisdom which seem to satisfy 
the narrow mind of man in our generation; yea, be- 
hold the narrow-minded, calculating, trading, over- 
reaching, penurious sycophant of the nineteenth cen- 
tury, who dreams of nothing here, but how to increase 
his goods, or take advantage of his neighbor ; and whose 
only religious exercise or duties consist of going to meet- 


126 THE RESURRECTION 

mg, paying the priest his hire, or praying to his God, 
without expecting to be heard or answered, supposing 
that God has been deaf and dumb for many centuries, or 
altogether stupid and indifferent like himself. And 
having seen the two contrasted, you will be able to form 
some idea of the vast elevation from which man has 
fallen; you will also learn how infinitely beneath his 
former glory and dignity he is now living, and your 
heart will mourn, and be exceedingly sorrowful, when 
you contemplate him in his low estate — and then think 
he is your brother ; and you will be ready to exclaim, 
with wonder and astonishment : “ O man ! how art thou 
fallen! Once thou wast the favorite of heaven; thy 
Maker delighted to converse with thee, and angels, and 
the spirits of just men made perfect, were thy compan- 
ions; but now thou art degraded, and brought down 
to a level with the beasts ; yea, far beneath them, for 
they look with horror and affright at your vain amuse- 
ments, your sports, and your drunkenness, and thus 
often set an example worthy of your imitation. Well 
did the apostle Peter say of you, that you know nothing, 
only what you know naturally as brute beasts, made to 
be taken and destroyed. And thus you perish, from 
generation to generation, while all creation groans 
under its pollution ; and sorrow and death, mourning 
and weeping, fill up the measure of the days of man.” 
But, Oh my soul, dwell no longer on this awful scene ; 
let it suffice to have discovered, in some degree, what is 
lost. Let us turn our attention to what the Prophets 
have said should be restored. 

The Apostle Peter, while preaching to the Jews, 
says: “And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was 


and restoration. 


127 


preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive, 
until the times of the restitution (restoration) of all 
things which God hath spoken, by the mouth of all his 
holy prophets since the world began.” It appears from 
the above, that all the holy Prophets from Adam to 
Christ, and those that followed after, had their eyes 
upon a certain time, when all things should be restored 
to their primitive beauty and excellence. We also learn, 
that the time of restitution was to be at or near the 
time of Christ’s second coming ; for the heavens are to 
receive him, until the times of restitution, and the Fa- 
ther shall send him again to the earth. 

We will now proceed to notice Isaiah xl. 1 — 5. 
“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, 
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is 
pardoned; for she hath received of the Lord’s hand, 
double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in 
the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make 
straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every 
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill 
shall be made low ; and the crooked shall be made 
straight, and the rough places plain ; and the glory of 
the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it to- 
gether; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” 

From these verses we learn, first, that the voice of 
one shall be heard in the wilderness, to prepare the way 
of the Lord, just at the time when Jerusalem has been 
trodden down of the Gentiles long enough to have re- 
ceived, at the Lord’s hand, double for all her sins, yea, 
when the warfare of Jerusalem is accomplished, and 
her iniquities pardoned. Then shall this proclamation 


128 


THE RESURRECTION 


be made as it was before by John, yea, a second procla- 
mation, to prepare the way of the Lord, for his second 
coming ; and about that time every valley shall be ex- 
alted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, 
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
places plain, and then the glory of the Lord shall be re- 
vealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth 
of the Lord hath spoken it. 

Thus you see, every mountain being made low, and 
every valley exalted, and the rough places being made 
plain, and the crooked places straight— that these 
mighty revolutions will begin to restore the face of the 
earth to its former beauty. But all this done, we have 
not yet gone through our restoration ; there are many 
more great things to be done in order to restore all 
things. 

Our next, is Isaiah, 25th chapter, where we again 
read of the Lord’s second coming, and of the mighty 
works which attend it. The barren desert should 
abound with pools and springs of living water, and 
should produce grass, with flowers blooming and blos- 
soming as the rose, and that, too, about the time of the 
coming of their God, with vengeance and recompense, 
which must allude to his second coming ; and Israel is 
to come at the same time to Zion, with songs of ever- 
lasting joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 
Here, then, we have the curse taken off the deserts, and 
they become a fruitful, well- watered country. 

We will now inquire whether the islands return 
again to the continents, from whence they were sepa- 
rated. For this subject we refer you to Revelations vi. 
14. “ And every mountain and island were moved out 


AND RESTORATION. 


129 


of their places.” From this we learn that they moved 
somewhere ; and as it is the time of restoring what has 
been lost, they accordingly return and join themselves 
to the land whence they came. 

Our next is Isaiah xiii. 13th and 14th verses, where 
“The earth shall remove out of her plaee, and shall be 
as the chased roe, which no man taketh up.” Also 
Isaiah lxii. 4 : “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken ; 
neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate ; 
but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land 
Beulah ; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land 
shall be married.” 

In the first instance, we have the earth on a move 
like a chased roe ; and in the second place, we have it 
married. And from the whole, and various Scriptures, 
we learn, that the continents and islands shall be united 
in one, as they were on the morn of creation, and the 
sea shall retire and assemble in its own place, where it 
was before; and all these scenes shall take place during 
the mighty convulsion of nature, about the time of the 
coming of the Lord. 

Behold! the Mount of Olives rend in twain: 

While on its top he sets his feet again, 

The islands, at his word, obedient, flee; 

While to the north, he rolls the mighty sea; 

Restores the earth in one, as at the first, 

With all its blessings, and removes the curse. 

Having restored the earth to the same glorious state 
in which it first existed— levelling the mountains, ex- 
alting the valleys, smoothing the rough places, making 
the deserts fruitful, and bringing all the continents and 
islands together, causing the curse to be taken off, that 

noxious weeds, and thorns, and thistles shall no longer 
K 


130 


THE RESURRECTION 


be produced; the next thing is to regulate and restore 
the brute creation to their former state of peace and 
glory, causing all enmity to cease from off the earth. 
But this will never be done until there is a general de- 
struction poured out upon man, which will entirely 
cleanse the earth, and sweep all wickedness from its face. 
This will be done by the rod of His mouth, and by the 
breath of His lips ; or, in other words, by fire as uni- 
versal as the flood. Isaiah xi. 4, 6 — 9 : “ But with right- 
eousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with 
equity for the meek of the earth ; and he shall smite 
the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the 
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. The wolf 
also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall 
lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion, 
and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead 
them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their 
young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall 
eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play 
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put 
his hand on the cockatriee’s den. They shall not hurt 
nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for the earth shall 
be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover 
the sea.” 

Thus, having cleansed the earth, and glorified it with 
the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the sea, and 
having poured out His Spirit upon all flesh, both man 
and beast becoming perfectly harmless, as they were in 
the beginning, and feeding on vegetable food only, 
while nothing is left to hurt or destroy in all the vast 
creation, the Prophets then proceed to give us many 
glorious descriptions of the enjoyments of its inhabit- 


and restoration. 


131 


ants. f ‘ They shall build houses and inhabit them ; and 
they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them ; 
they shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not 
plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the 
days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the 
work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor 
bring forth for trouble ; for they are the seed of the blest 
of the Lord, and their offspring with them; and it shall 
come to pass, that before they call I will answer, and 
while they are yet speaking I will hear.” In this happy 
state of existence it seems that all people will live to the 
full age of a tree, and this too, without pain or sorrow, 
and whatsoever they ask will be immediately answered, 
and even all their wants will be anticipated. Of course, 
then, none of them will sleep in the dust, for they will 
prefer to be translated, that is, changed in the twinkling 
of an eye, from mortal to immortal ; after which they will 
continue to reign with Jesus on the earth. 

Thus we have traced the Prophets through the vary- 
ing scenes which conspire to restore the earth, and its 
inhabitants, to that state of perfection in which they 
first existed, and in which they will exist during the 
great sabbath of creation. Having seen all things re- 
stored among the living, we will now inquire after those 
who sleep in the dust ; but, in order to understand pre- 
cisely the nature of their restoration, we must ascertain 
the particulars concerning the resurrection of Jesus, for 
he was an exact pattern after which all his Saints will be 
raised. We recollect, first, that he was clothed upon 
with flesh, and blood, and bones, like another man, and 
every way subject to hunger, thirst, pain, weariness, 
sickness, and death, like any other person— with this 


132 


THE RESURRECTION 


difference, that he was capable of enduring more than 
any other human body. Second, this same body was 
hung upon the cross, torn with nails, which were driven 
through his hands and feet, and his side pierced with a 
spear, from which there came out blood and water. 
Third, this same body, being perfectly lifeless, like any 
other corpse, was taken without a bone being broken, 
and carefully wrapped in linen and laid in the tomb, 
where it continued until the third day ; when, early in 
the morning, the women came to the sepulchre, and his 
disciples also, and found the linen clothes lying useless, 
and the napkin which was about his head carefully 
folded and laid by itself, but the body which had lain 
there was gone. From all these circumstances, we dis- 
cover that the same flesh and bones which were laid in 
the tomb were actually re-animated, and did arise and 
lay aside the linen which was no longer needed. And 
Jesus Christ came forth triumphant from the mansions 
of the dead, possessing the same body which had been 
born of a woman, and which was crucified; but no 
blood flowed in his veins, for blood was the natural life, 
in which were the principles of mortality, and a man 
restored to flesh and blood would be mortal, and, conse- 
quently, again subject unto death, which was not the 
case with our Savior, although he had flesh and bones 
after he rose, for when he appeared to his disciples, and 
they were afraid, supposing it was only a spirit, in order 
to show them their mistake, he said : “ Handle me and 
see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me 
have.” And calling for something to eat, he was pro- 
vided with a piece of broiled fish and honeycomb, and he 
did eat. And even afterwards, Thomas was invited to 


AND RESTORATION. 


133 


put his finger into the prints of the nails in his hands 
and feet, and to thrust his hand into his side, from which 
it was evident that he not only possessed the same body, 
but the same wounds also continued to show themselves 
for a witness, and will continue until he comes again, 
when the Jews will look upon him whom they have 
pierced, and inquire, “What are these wounds in thy 
hands and in thy feet?” 

O ye hard hearted, ye ungodly children of men; 
your eyes will very soon behold him who was crucified 
for your sins ; then shall ye see that the resurrection of 
the dead is a reality, something tangible, and that eter- 
nity is not a land of shades, nor a world of phantoms, as 
some suppose. 

Among other things which Jesus did after the res- 
urrection, we find him in the humble attitude of broil- 
ing fish, and calling his disciples to come and dine. O 
what simplicity, what love, what condescension ! Won- 
der, O heavens! Be astonished, O earth! Behold the 
Redeemer clothed upon with immortality, and yet seated 
by a fire of coals, in the open air, with his brethren, 
humbly partaking of a meal of fish, actually prepared 
by his own hands ! O ye great and noble of the earth, 
who roll in luxury and refinement ! O ye priests, who 
are loaded with the honors, titles, dignities, riches, and 
splendor of the world, here is a lesson for you, which 
will make you blush: boast no more of being followers 
of the meek and lowly Jesus ! 

But to return to the subject of the resurrection. 
Having proved to a demonstration, that our Savior rose 
from the dead, with the same body which was crucified 
— possessing flesh and bones, that he ate and drank with 


134 


THE RESURRECTION 


his disciples, it puts the matter forever at rest respecting 
the resurrection of the Saints. But if more proof were 
wanting, we have it in the prophecy of Job, quoted in a 
former part of this work, where he declares that his 
Redeemer will stand, in the latter day, upon the earth, 
and he should see him in the flesh, though worms 
should destroy the body which he then had. The fact 
is, the Saints will again receive their bodies, every joint 
being in its proper and perfect frame, and clothed upon 
with flesh, sinews, and skin, like as we now are; the 
whole being immortal, no more to see corruption, and 
clothed with a white robe of fine linen, suitable for im- 
mortality. to wear. Well did the Apostle say, In heaven 
we have a more enduring substance (not shadow). 

But in order to illustrate this subject still farther, 
we will carefully examine Ezekiel xxxvii., which we 
have touched upon before. In this vision, the Prophet 
is carried away in the Spirit, and a valley of dry bones 
is presented before him, and they are very numerous 
and very dry; and while he stands musing and contem- 
plating the awful scene, a very wonderful question is 
proposed to him: “Son of man, can these dry bones 
live? ” and he answered : “ O Lord God, thou knowest.” 
And the Lord said : “ Son of man, prophesy upon these 
bones, and say, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the 
Lord.” So he prophesied as he was commanded, and, 
as he prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a 
shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone, 
and the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the 
skin covered them. And again he prophesied to the 
winds, saying : “Come from the four winds, O breath, 
and breathe upon these slain, that they may live ; ” and 


AND RESTORATION. 


135 


the breath entered into them, and they lived and stood 
upon their feet, an exceeding great army. We have 
heard many comments upon this vision ; some compare 
it to sinners being converted, and some to the body of 
Christ, the Church, when dead as to the spiritual gifts; 
but the Church becoming dead, can no longer be said to 
be the body of Christ, as when she abides in the true 
vine, she lives and bears fruit, and is not dead, and 
when she does not abide in him, she is cut off as a 
branch withered and burned, instead of rising again. 
But did you ever hear the Lord’s own explanation of 
this vision, in the same chapter? It so far surpasses all 
other comments, I am inclined to believe it ; I will there- 
fore write it in preference to any other, and run the risk of 
becoming unpopular by so doing. The Lord says : “ Son 
of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel ; be- 
hold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is 
lost : we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy 
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O 
my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to 
come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land 
of Israel : and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when 
I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought 
you up out of your graves, and shall put my Spirit in 
you, and ye shall live; and I shall place you in your own 
land. Then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken 
it, and performed it, saith the Lord.” Thus you have 
the whole vision unfolded plainly, if the Lord’s 
authority can once be allowed, which is seldom the case 
in this age of wisdom and learning. The fact is, all the 
seed of Israel are to be raised from the dead, and are to 
be brought into the land of Israel, which was given to 


136 


THE RESURRECTION 


them for an everlasting inheritance. And in* order to 
do this, their old dry bones are to be brought together, 
bone to its bone, and every part of their bodies is to be 
re-instated ; and it will make a great noise, and a won- 
derful shaking when they come together; and surely 
when they stand upon their feet they will make an ex- 
ceeding great army. 

This just explains the promise, so oft repeated in 
Scripture : “ My servant David shall be their prince for 
ever; ” indeed this same chapter makes the promise to 
them, that His servant David shall be raised up, and 
shall be a prince among them, while the Lord shall be 
their King; while both they that are alive, and they 
that are dead, shall be restored, and become one nation 
in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; while David 
comes forth and reigns as a prince and shepherd over 
them for ever; and the Lord Jesus reigns as King of 
kings, and Lord of lords, in Mount Zion, and in Jeru- 
salem, and before his ancients gloriously. 


O glorious day! O blessed hope! 

My soul leaps forward at the thought; 
When in that happy, happy land, 
We’ll take the ancients by the hand; 
In love and union hail our friends; 
And Death and Sorrow have an end. 


I now no longer marvel, when I call to mind that 
Abraham counted himself a stranger and a pilgrim, 
seeking a better country, and a city whose builder and 
maker is God. It seems after this restoration there will 
be but one more change necessary, in order to fit the 
earth for man’s eternal inheritance ; and that change is 
to take place at the last day, after man has enjoyed 


AND RESTORATION. 


137 


it in peace a thousand years. We have now discovered 
the great secret, which none but the Saints have under- 
stood, (but was well understood by them in all ages of 
the world,) which is this, that man is to dwell in the 
flesh, upon the earth, with the Messiah, with the whole 
house of Israel, and with all the Saints of thejMost 
High, not only one thousand years, but for ever and 
ever. There our father Adam, whose hair is white like 
the pure wool, will sit enthroned in dignity, as the 
Ancient of Days, the great Patriarch, the mighty 
Prince; while thousands of thousands stand before 
him, and ten thousand times ten thousand minister to 
him ; there he will hail all his children, who died in the 
faith of the Messiah; while Abel, Enoch, Noah, 
Abraham, Job, and Daniel, with all the Prophets and 
Apostles, and all the Saints of God of all ages, hail each 
other in the flesh. Jesus the great Messiah will stand 
in the midst, and, to crown the whole, will gird him- 
self, and administer bread and wine to the whole multi- 
tude, and he himself will partake of the same with them 
on the earth, all being clothed in fine linen, clean and 
white. This is the marriage supper of the Lamb. Bless- 
ed are they who partake thereof. 

Having traced the great restoration of the earth and 
its inhabitants, until we find them in the full enjoy- 
ment of the promises made to their fathers ; and having 
learned that a future state is not a state of shadows and 
fables, but something tangible, even a more enduring 
substance, we shall now take a view of the division of 
their land, and the laying out of their city, even the 
holy city, where the tabernacle of God and His sanctu- 
ary shall be forevermore, for of course this was the 


138 


THE RESURRECTION 


city sought for by Abraham and others, who found it 
not. 

This view is given in the last chapter of Ezekiel, 
where he divides the land, by lot, to the whole twelve 
tribes ; and lays off the city, and sanctuary in the midst, 
with its twelve gates, three on each side, the whole lying 
four square. But in his 47th chapter, we have a descrip- 
tion of a beautiful river, which will issue forth from the 
eastern front of the temple, from under the sanctuary, 
and run eastward into the Dead Sea, healing the waters, 
and causing a very great multitude of fishes ; so that 
from Engedi, and Eneglaim, the fishers spread forth 
their nets ; while the miry places shall not be healed, 
but shall be given to salt. And on either side shall grow 
all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, nor shall the 
fruit thereof be consumed ; it shall bring forth new 
fruit according to its months, because of the waters issu- 
ing from the sanctuary ; and their fruit shall be for meat, 
and their leaves for medicine. 

But to set forth more fully the building of the city, 
and the materials of which it will be built, we quote 
Isaiah liv. 11, to the end of the chapter: “O thou af- 
flicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, 
I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foun- 
dations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows 
of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy bor- 
ders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be 
taught of the Lord ; and great shall be the peace of thy 
children. In righteousness shalt thou be established : 
thou shalt be far from oppression ; for tbou shalt not 
fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me : 


AND RESTORATION. 


139 


whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall 
for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that 
bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an 
instrument for his work ; and I have created the waster 
to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall 
prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee 
in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage 
of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is 
of me, saith the Lord.” 

From these verses we learn something of the beauty 
of their city, and of the materials of which it is com- 
posed. Their stones of fair colors, their foundations of 
sapphires, their windows of agates, their gates of car- 
buncles, and all their borders of pleasant stones, are well 
calculated to beautify the place of His sanctuary, and 
to make the place of His feet glorious, as well as to give 
a lustre and magnificence to the whole city, of which 
the Gentiles, with all their boasted wealth and grandeur, 
can form but a faint idea ; and then to mark, in the same 
description, the knowledge, as well as the peace and se- 
curity, of all the inhabitants; while they who gather 
together against them to battle are sure to fall for their 
sake : surely this is the heritage of the servants of 
the Lord, surely this is a delightful city, and well worth 
a pilgrimage like Abraham’s. 

But in order to form a still more striking idea of the 
prosperity, wealth, beauty, and magnificence, of the 
cities of Zion and Jerusalem, we will quote Isaiah lx. : 
“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of 
the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness 
shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: 
but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall 


140 


THE RESURRECTION 


be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy 
light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift 
up thine eyes, round about, and see ; all they gather 
themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall 
' come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy 
side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine 
heart shall fear, and be enlarged ; because the abundance 
of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of 
the Gentiles shall come unto thee. The multitude of 
camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and 
Epha; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall 
bring gold and incense ; and they shall show forth the 
praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be 
gatered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall 
minister unto thee : they shall come up with acceptance 
on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. 
Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to 
their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and 
the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, 
their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of 
the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, be- 
cause he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers 
shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister 
unto thee ; for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my 
favor have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates 
shall be open continually ; they shall not be shut day 
nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces 
of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. 
For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee 
shall perish ; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. 
The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir- 
tree, the pine-tree, and the box together, to beautify the 


AND RESTORATION. 


141 


place of my sanctuary ; and I will make the place of my 
feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee 
shall come bending unto thee ; and all they that despised 
thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet ; 
and they shall call thee, The city of the Lord, the Zion 
of the Holy One of Israel. 

f< Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so 
that no man went through thee, I will make thee an 
eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou 
shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck 
the breast of kings : and thou shalt know that I the 
Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty one 
of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I 
will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones 
iron : I will also make thy officers peace, and thine ex- 
actors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard 
in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy bor- 
ders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy 
gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by 
day ; neither for brightness shall the moon give light 
unto thee : but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlast- 
ing light, and thy God thy glory. Thy ‘sun shall no 
more go down ; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: 
for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the 
days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also 
shall be all righteous : they shall inherit the land for 
ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my 
hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become 
a thousand, and a small one a strong nation : I the Lord 
will hasten it in his time.” 

In this chapter we learn — First, that there is a city 
to be built in the last days, unto which, not only Israel, 


142 


THE RESURRECTION 


but all the nations of the Gentiles, are to flow ; and the 
nation and kingdom that will not serve the city shall 
perish and be utterly wasted. Second, we learn that 
the name of that city is Zion, the city of the Lord. 
Third, we learn that it is called the place of His sanctu- 
ary, and the place of his feet. Fourth, that the best of 
timber, consisting of fir, pine, and boxwood, is to be 
brought in great plenty, to beautify the place of His 
sanctuary, and make the place of His feet glorious. 
Fifth, the precious metals are to abound in such plenty, 
that gold is to be in the room of brass, silver in the room 
of iron, brass in the room of wood, and iron in the room 
of stones. Their officers are to be peace officers, and 
their exactors righteous exactors; violence is no more 
to be heard in the land ; wasting nor destruction within 
their borders. Their walls are to be Salvation, and their 
gates Praise: while the glory of God, in the midst of 
the city, out-shines the sun. The days of their mourn- 
ing are ended ; their people are all righteous, and are to 
inherit the land forever, being the branch of the Lord’s 
planting, that He may be glorified. A little one shall 
become a strong nation, and the Lord will hasten it in 
his time. 

The Psalmist David has told us, concerning the 
time of the building of this city, in his 102nd Psalm, 
from the 13th verse to the 22nd: “ Thou shalt arise and 
have mercy upon Zion ; for the time to favor her, yea, 
the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in 
her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the heathen 
shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the 
earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, 
he shall appear in his glory. He will regard the prayer 


AND RESTORATION. 


143 


of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. This 
shall be written for the generation to come : and the 
people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. 
For He hath looked down from the height of His sanct- 
uary ; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth ; to 
hear the groaning of the prisoner ; to loose those that 
are appointed to death ; to declare the name of the Lord 
in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem ; when the people 
are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the 
Lord.” 

From this scripture we learn — First, that there is a 
set time to build up Zion, or the city of which Isaiah 
speaks, namely, just before the second coming of Christ; 
and that when this city is built, the Lord will appear in 
his glory, and not before. So from this we affirm, that 
if such a city is never built, then the Lord will never 
come. Second, we learn that the people and kingdoms 
are to be gathered together, to serve the Lord, both in 
Zion and Jerusalem ; and third, that this Psalm was 
written expressly for the generation to come, and the 
people which shall be created shall praise the Lord, 
when they read it and see it fulfilled. 

I will now call the attention of the reader to the 
first paragraph of the sixth chapter of the Record of 
Ether, contained in the Book of Mormon. “For he 
truly told them of all things from the beginning of man ; 
and how that after the waters had receded from off the 
face of this land (America), it became a choice land 
above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord, where- 
fore, the Lord would have that all men should serve 
Him who dwell upon the face thereof ; and that it was 
the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down 


144 


THE RESURRECTION 


out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Be- 
hold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake con- 
cerning a New Jerusalem upon this land; and he 
spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jeru- 
salem from whence Lehi should come; after it should 
be destroyed, it should be built up again a holy city unto 
the Lord ; wherefore, it could not be a New Jerusalem, 
for it had been in a time of old ; but it should be built 
up again, and become a holy city of the Lord, and it 
should be built up unto the house of Israel ; and that a 
New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto 
the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there 
has been a type ; for as Joseph brought his father down 
into the land of Egypt, even so he died there ; where- 
fore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph 
out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful 
unto the seed of Joseph, that they should perish not, 
even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph, that 
he should perish not ; wherefore, the remnant of the 
house of Joseph shall be built up on this land, and it 
shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall 
build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jeru- 
salem of old, and they shall no more be confounded, 
until the end come, when the earth shall pass away. 
And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and 
they shall be like unto the old, save the old have passed 
away, and all things have become new. And then 
cometh the New Jerusalem : and blessed are they who 
dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white 
through the blood of the Lamb ; and they are they who 
are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph 
who were of the house of Israel. And then also cometh 


AND RESTORATION. 


145 


the Jerusalem of old, and the inhabitants thereof; 
blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood 
of the Lamb ; and they are they who were scattered 
and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and 
from the north countries, and are partakers of the ful- 
filling of the covenant which God made with their 
father Abraham. And when these things come, bring- 
eth to pass the Scripture which saith, “There are they 
who were first, who shall be last: and there are they 
who were last, who shall be first . 99 

From this prophecy we learn — First, that America is 
a chosen land of the Lord, above every other land. 
Second, that it is the place of the New Jerusalem, which 
shall come down from God, out of heaven, upon the 
earth, when it is renewed. Third, that a New Jerusalem 
is to be built in America, to the remnant of Joseph, 
after a similar pattern, or like unto the old Jerusalem in 
the land of Canaan ; and that the old Jerusalem shall 
be re-built at the same time, and, this being done, both 
cities will continue in prosperity on the earth, until the 
great and last change, when the heavens and the earth 
are to be renewed. Fourth, we learn that when this 
change takes place, the two cities, together with the in- 
habitants thereof, are to be caught up into heaven, and 
being changed and made new, the one comes down up- 
on the American land, and the other to its own place as 
formerly: and, fifth, we learn that the inhabitants of 
these two cities are the same that gathered together and 
first builded them. The remnant of Joseph, and those 
gathered with them, inherit the New Jerusalem. And 
the tribes of Israel, gathered from the north countries, 

and from the four quarters of the earth, inhabit the 
L 


146 


THE RESURRECTION 


other; and thus all things being made new, we find 
those who were once strangers and pilgrims on the 
earth, in possession of that better country, and that 
city, for which they sought. 

We will now turn to John's Revelation, and ex- 
amine the city after it is made new, and see if it is any- 
thing like the pattern which it exhibited previous to its 
final change. Rev. xxi : “ And I saw a new heaven and 
a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth 
were passed away ; and there was no more sea. And I 
John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down 
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for 
her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, 
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and 
he W’ill dwell with them, and they shall be his people, 
and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and 
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor cry- 
ing, neither shall there be any more pain : for the for- 
mer things are passed away. And he that sat upon the 
throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he 
said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faith- 
ful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and 
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto 
him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life 
freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; 
and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the 
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and mur- 
derers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, 
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which 
burneth with fire and brimstone : which is the second 
death. 


AND RESTORATION. 


147 


“And there came unto me one of the seven angels 
which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, 
and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show 
thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away 
in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed 
me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out 
of heaven from God, having the glory of God : and her 
light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a 
jasper stone, clear as crystal ; and had a wall great and 
high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates, twelve 
angels, and names written thereon, which are the names 
of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the 
east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on the 
south, three gates ; on the west, three gates. And the 
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them 
the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. And he 
that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the 
city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And 
the city lieth four square, and the length is as large as 
the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, 
twelve thousand furlongs : the length and the breadth 
and the height of it are equal. And he measured the 
wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, ac- 
cording to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. 
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and 
the city was of pure gold, like unto clear glass. And 
the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished 
with all manner of precious stones. The first founda- 
tion was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a 
chalcedony ; the fourth, an emerald ; the fifth, sardonyx ; 
the sixth, sardius ; the seventh, chrysolyte ; the eighth, 
beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus ; 


148 


THE RESURRECTION 


the eleventh, a jacinth ; the twelfth, an amethyst. And 
the twelve gates were twelve pearls ; every several gate 
was of one pearl : and the street of the city was pure 
gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple 
therein : for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are 
the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, 
neither of the moon, to shine in it ; for the glory of God 
did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And 
the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the 
light of it ; and the kings of the earth do bring their 
glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not 
be shut at all by day ; for there shall be no night there. 
And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations 
into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any- 
thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomi- 
nation, or maketh a lie ; but they which are written in 
the Lamb’s book of life.” Also, 22nd chapter, he says: 
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, 
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and 
of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on 
either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which 
bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit 
every month : and the leaves of the tree were for the 
healing of the nations. And there shall be no more 
curse : but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in 
it; and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see 
his face ; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And 
there shall be no night there ; and they need no candle, 
neither light of the sun ; for the Lord God giveth them 
light : and they shall reign forever and ever. And he 
said unto me, These sayings are fathful and true : and 
the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show 


AND RESTORATION. 


149 


unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. 
Behold, I come quickly : blessed is he that keepeth the 
sayings of the prophecy of this book/’ 

From this beautiful description, we learn — First, 
that the new earth is not to be separated by any sea, 
consequently, what is now called the Eastern and West- 
ern Continents will then be one land. Secondly, we 
learn that the Lord will make not only the heavens 
and earth, but all things new (including, of course, the 
cities of Jerusalem and Zion, where his tabernacle will 
have been for more than a thousand years). Thirdly, 
we learn that the city will lie four square, and have 
twelve gates, with the names of the twelve tribes of Is- 
rael, inserted, one on each gate; three gates on the 
north, three on the south, three on the east, and three on 
the west ; precisely after the same manner in which it 
will exist temporally during the thousand years, as de- 
scribed by Ezekiel. Fourthly, we learn that it will be 
composed of precious stones, and gold, as the temporal 
city also will be, as described by Isaiah. Fifthly, a pure 
river of the water of life, clear as crystal, will flow 
through this renewed city, proceeding from the throne 
of God, just as living waters will flow from the sanc- 
tuary in the temporal city, as described by Ezekiel. 
Sixthly, the tree of life will stand on either side of the 
river, even the tree which will have once borne twelve 
manner of fruits, and have yielded its fruit every month, 
its leaves having been for the healing of the nations. 
But now, when John sees it, the nations have no need 
of healing, for there is no more death, neither pain, nor 
sorrow, for the former things have passed away, and all 
things are become new, consequently, he speaks in the 


150 


THE RESURRECTION 


past tense, and says they were for the healing of the na- 
tions ; of course, referring to the times when they ex- 
isted temporally, according to Ezekiel, before their final 
change. 

Now, of the things which we have spoken this is 
the sum — Ezekiel and the other Prophets have presented 
us with the view of the cities of Zion and Jerusalem, as 
they will exist during the one thousand years of rest 
called the Millennium ; and John has given us a view 
of the same cities, after their final change, when they 
come down from God out of heaven, and rest upon the 
new earth. But Ether has given us a sketch of them as 
they are to exist, both in their temporal and in their 
eternal state: and he has told us plainly concerning 
their location, first and last, namely, the New Jerusa- 
lem, in America, inhabited by the remnant of Joseph, 
and those gathered with them, who have washed their 
robes, and made them white, in the blood of the Lamb : 
and the other Jerusalem, in its former place, inhabited 
by the house of Israel gathered from the north coun- 
tries, and from all countries where they were scattered, 
having washed their robes, and made them white, in 
the blood of the Lamb. And here is the end of the 
matter. 

I would only add, that the government of the 
United States has been engaged, for upwards of nine 
years, in gathering the remnant of Joseph to the very 
place where they will finally build a New Jerusalem, a 
city of Zion, with the assistance of the Gentiles, who 
will gather them from all the face of the land ; and this 
gathering is clearly predicted in the Book of Mormon, 
and other revelations, and the place before appointed, 




AND RESTORATION. 


151 


and the time set for its fulfilment. And except the 
Gentiles repent of all their abominations, and embrace 
the same covenant, they will soon be utterly destroyed 
from off the face of this land ; as it is written by Isaiah ; 
u The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall 
perish. Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.” 
And as it is written by the Prophet Nephi, in the latter 
part of the ninth, and fore part of the tenth chapters of 
his record, in the book of Mormon : “And verily I say 
unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the 
time when these things shall be about to take place, that 
I shall gather in from their long dispersion my people, 

0 house of Israel, and shall establish again among them 
my Zion. And behold, this is the thing which I will 
give unto you for a sign : for verily I say unto you, that 
when these things which I declare unto you, and which 

1 shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the 
power of the Holy Ghost, which shall be given unto 
you of the Father, shall be made known unto the 
Gentiles, that they may know concerning this people, 
who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concern- 
ing this my people, who shall be scattered by them : 
verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall 
be made known unto them of the Father, and shall 
come forth of the Father, from them unto you, for it is 
wisdom in the Father, that they should be established 
in this land, and be set up as a free people, by the power 
of the Father, that these things might come forth from 
them, unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant 
of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath coven- 
anted w’ith his people, O house of Israel. Therefore, 
when these works, and the works which shall be 


152 


THE RESURRECTION 


wrought among you hereafter, shall come forth from the 
Gentiles unto your seed, which shall dwindle in unbe- 
lief because of iniquity : for thus it behoveth the Father 
that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he 
may shew forth his power unto the Gentiles for this 
cause, that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their 
hearts, may repent and come unto me, and be baptized 
in my name, that they may be numbered among my 
people, O house of Israel ; and when these things come 
to pass, that thy seed shall begin to know these things, 
it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that 
the work of the Father hath already commenced, unto 
the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto 
the people which are of the house of Israel. And when 
that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings 
shall shut their mouths : for that which had not been 
told them, shall they see, and that which they had not 
heard, shall they consider. For in that day, for my 
sake, shall the Father work a work, which shall be a 
great and marvellous work among them; and there 
shall be among them who will not believe it, although a 
man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the life of 
my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall 
not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of 
them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them 
that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the 
devil. Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever 
will not believe in my words who am Jesus Christ, 
which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto 
the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he 
shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be 
done, even as Moses said), they shall be cut off from 


AND RESTORATION. 


153 


among my people, who are of the covenant; and my 
people, who are a remnant of Jacob, shall be among the 
Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them, as a lion among the 
beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of 
sheep, who, if he go through, both treadeth down and 
teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. Their hand 
shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their 
enemies shall be cut off*. 

“ Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles, except they repent: 
for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, 
that I will cut off thy horses, out of the midst of thee, 
and I will destroy thy chariots, and I will cut off the 
cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; 
and I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and 
thou shalt have no more soothsayers; thy graven 
images, I will also cut off, and thy standing images out 
of the midst of thee ; and thou shalt no more worship 
the works of thy hands ; and I will pluck up thy groves 
out of the midst of thee ; so will I destroy thy cities. 
And it shall come to pass, that all lyings and deceivings, 
and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whore- 
doms shall be done away. For it shall come to pass, 
saith the Father, that at that day, whosoever will not 
repent and come unto my beloved Son, them will I cut 
off from among my people, O house of Israel ; and I 
will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as 
upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. ” (Chap, 
ix. 11, 12.) 

“But if they will repent, and hearken unto my 
words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my 
Church among them, and they shall come in unto the 
covenant, and be numbered among this the remnant of 


154 


THE RESURRECTION 


Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their in- 
heritance; and they shall assist my people, the remnant 
of Jacob ; and also as many of the house of Israel as 
shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be 
called the New Jerusalem ; and then shall they assist 
my people, that they may be gathered in, who are 
scattered upon all the face of the land, into the New Jeru- 
salem. And then shall the power of heaven come down 
among them; and I also will be in the midst; and then 
shall the work of the Father commence at that day, 
even when this gospel shall be preached among the rem- 
nant of this people. Verily, I say unto you, at that day 
shall the work of the Father commence among all the 
dispersed of my people; yea, even the tribes which have 
been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jeru- 
salem. Yea, the work shall commence among all the 
dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the 
way whereby they may come unto me, that they may 
call on the Father in my name ; yea, and then shall the 
work commence with the Father, among all nations, 
ih preparing the way whereby his people may be gath- 
ered home to the land of their inheritance. And they 
shall go out from all nations ; and they shall not go out 
in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, 
saith the Father, and I will be their rereward.” (Chap, 
x. 1.) 

O ye remnant of Joseph, your secret is revealed , ye 
who are despised, smitten, scattered, and driven by the 
Gentiles from place to place, until you are left few in 
number! c ‘0 thou afflicted, tossed with tempest and 
not comforted;” lift up your heads and rejoice, for your 
redemption draweth nigh : yea, we have found your re- 


AND RESTORATION. 


155 


cord, the oracles of God once committed to your fore- 
fathers, which have been hidden from you for a long 
time, because of unbelief. Behold ! they are about to be 
restored to you again, then shall you rejoice; for you 
shall know that it is a blessing from the hand of God ; 
and the scales of darkness shall begin to fall from your 
eyes ; and the Gentiles shall not again have power over 

you ; but you shall be gathered by them, and be built up, 

/• 

and again become a delightsome people; and the time 
has come ; yea, the work has already commenced ; for 
we have seen you gathered together, from all parts of 
the land, unto the place which God has appointed for 
the Gentiles to gather you; therefore lay down your 
weapons of war, cease to oppose the Gentiles in the gath- 
ering of your various tribes, for the hand of your great 
God is in all this, and it was all foretold by your fore- 
fathers, ten thousand moons ago. Therefore suffer them 
peaceably to fulfil this last act of kindness, as a kind 
reward for the injuries you have received from them. 

It is with mingled feelings of joy and sorrow that I 
reflect upon these things. Sorrow, when I think how 
you have been smitten; joy, when I reflect upon the 
happy change that now awaits you; and sorrow again, 
when I turn my thoughts to the awful destruction that 
awaits the Gentiles, except they repent. But the eternal 
purposes of Jehovah must roll on, until all His promises 
are fulfilled, and none can hinder; therefore, O God, thy 
will be done. But while I still linger upon this subject, 
with feelings that are easier felt than described, me- 
thinks I can almost hear the Indian's mournful chant 
resounding through his native woods. It whispers 
thus— 


156 


THE DEALINGS OF GOD 


Great Spirit of our fathers, lend an ear; 

Pity the red man, to his cries give ear; 

Long hast thou scourged him, with thy chastening sore; 
When will thy vengeance cease, thy wrath be o’er? 

When will the white man’s dire ambition cease, 

And let our scattered remnants dwell in peace? 

Or shall we, driven to the western shore, 

Become extinct, and fall to rise no more? 

Forbid, great Spirit ! make thy mercy known ; 

Reveal thy truth; thy wandering captives own; 

Make bare thine arm of power, for our release, 

And o’er the earth extend the reign of peace. 




CHAPTER VI. 

THE DEALINGS OF GOD WITH ALL NATIONS, IN RE- 
GARD TO REVELATION. 

“ And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell 
on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before 
appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should 
seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, 
though he be not far fjQpm every one of us ; for in him we live, and 
move, and have our being.”— Acte xvii. 26 — 28 . 

In this text we learn first, that all nations are made of 
one blood ; secondly, they are designed to dwell on all 
the face of the earth (America not excepted); thirdly, 
that the Lord has determined the bounds of their habi- 
tation, that is, He has divided the earth among His 
children, giving each nation that portion which seemed 
Him good — for instance, the land of Canaan, to Israel; 
Mount Seir, to Esau; Arabia, to Ishmael; America, to 
the remnant of Joseph, &c., as a father parcels off a 
large tract of land to his several children ; and fourthly, 
He has granted unto all the nations of the earth the 


WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 157 

privilege of feeling after Him and finding Him ; since 
He is not so very far from every one of them, whether 
they be in Asia, Africa, Europe, or America, or even 
upon the islands of the sea. Now if any nation, in any 
age of the world, or in any part of the earth, should 
happen to live up to their privilege, what would they 
obtain? I answer, revelation, for the best of reasons, 
because no people ever found God in any other way, nor 
ever will. Therefore, if they found God, they found 
Him by revelation, direct from Himself, He revealing 
His will to them ; and if they did not find Him in this 
way, they never knew Him. And if they did obtain 
revelation, it was their privilege to write it, and make a 
record of the same, and teach it to their children ; and 
this record would be sacred, because it would contain 
the word of God ; and thus it would be a Holy Bible, 
no matter whether it was written by the Jews, the Ten 
Tribes, the Nephites, or the Gentiles. I would just as 
soon have the Gospel written by Nephi, Mormon, 
Moroni, or Alma, as the Gospel written by Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, or John. Again, I would just as soon 
believe a revelation given in America, as believe a 
revelation given in Asia ; for if ever a nation failed to 
get a revelation, it was because they did not attain unto 
that which was their privilege. But why, then, was 
any nation ever left in darkness, from age to age, with- 
out the light of revelation to guide them? I answer, 
because their forefathers, in some age of the world, re- 
jected revelation, cast out and .killed the Prophets, and 
turned a deaf ear to the things of God, until God took 
away that which they enjoyed, and committed it to 
some other people, and left them from generation to 


158 


THE DEALINGS OF GOD 


generation to grow up in ignorance, until he should see 
fit again to send His light and truth to that nation ; but 
those who reject no light are under no condemnation, 
and the mercy of God hath claim upon them, through 
the blood of Christ which atoneth for the sins of the 
world. The heathen who never had the light of revela- 
tion will be saved by the blood of Christ ; while their 
forefathers who rejected the light are condemned, for 
this is their condemnation, that when light came, they 
rejected it. 

Now on this subject, let us examine the history of 
various ages. In the morn of creation, men had light 
by direct revelation, for Adam, Cain, and Abel talked 
with the Lord. In the next age, men had light by rev- 
lation, for Enoch walked with the Lord, and not only 
saw the first coming of Christ, but his second coming 
also, and he exclaimed : “ Behold, the Lord cometh with 
ten thousand of his saints, to take vengeance on the 
ungodly,” &c., as it is written in Jude. From which it 
appears that Enoch knew and prophesied concerning 
the Messiah, with all the plainness of an Apostle. Again, 
in Noah’s day there was positive revelation. And all 
these were Gentiles, or, rather, the word Israel had not 
yet been named upon Jacob by the angel. Now, if it was 
the privilege of so many Gentiles to get the word of the 
Lord, and to have the knowledge of the true God by 
revelation, it was the privilege of all the rest ; and if 
any ran into darkness and worshipped idols, until God 
gave them over to work all uncleanness with greedi- 
ness, and finally took the oracles of God from them, and 
confined them more particularly to Abraham, it was 
because they had for a long time rejected them, and 


WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 


159 


rendered themselves unworthy of them ; so that from 
the days of Israel the oracles of God seemed to pertain 
more particularly to the chosen seed, chosen for that 
very purpose, namely, that to them might be committed 
the oracles of God, the Priesthood, the service of God, 
and the promises which had been in existence, from the 
beginning, among the Gentiles, who had long rendered 
themselves unworthy of such blessings. 

But in process of time Israel rendered themselves 
unworthy of a continuance of such blessings, by stoning 
and killing the Prophets, and rejecting^ the Messiah, and 
all those that God sent unto them, until at length the 
Lord took the kingdom from them as a nation, and gave 
it again to the Gentiles; in the meantime winking at 
all the ignorance through which the Gentiles had 
passed, from the time the kingdom had been taken 
from them until restored again. But as soon as the 
kingdom of God was restored again to the Gentiles, He 
commanded them all everywhere to repent, and then if 
they did not do it they were under condemnation, but 
not before. But no sooner was the kingdom taken from 
the Jews, than the fruits of it disappeared from among 
them, and they were dispersed into all the nations of 
the earth, where they have never again heard the voice 
of inspiration commanding them to repent. And if any 
Gentile has commanded them to repent and be baptized 
(in the name of the Lord), without being inspired and 
commanded to do it, it was an imposition practised upon 
them. Not that repentance was any harm, but the im- 
position consisted in professing to be sent with a mes- 
sage when they were not, for when God commands men 
to repent, He sends somebody with the command, in 


160 


THE DEALINGS OF GOD 


order that they may teach it to those for whom He 
designs it ; and when He does not command them to do a 
thing, He does not require it at their hand. Any man 
who says that the Jews, as a nation, have been com- 
manded to repent and be baptized, for the last seventeen 
hundred years, says that which he cannot prove, unless 
he can prove that there has been a new revelation within 
that time, commissioning some man to go to them with 
such an errand; neither will any generation of Jews, 
which have existed since inspiration ceased, be con- 
demned for rejecting any message from God, for He has 
sent no message to them, consequently they have rejected 
none ; but their forefathers, who did reject the things of 
God, are under condemnation. 

Again, when men were sent with the Gospel to the 
Gentiles, they were commanded to repent; and this 
command was in force, whenever men came preaching, 
who were sent by proper authority, and inspired by 
the Holy Ghost ; but when they had killed the Apostles 
and inspired men, and abused their privileges, until God 
took them away, and left them without inspiration, 
then the sin was answered upon that generation; and 
those who have since come upon the stage of action 
have never been commanded to repent and be baptized 
(except by some new revelation), and any man who 
says that God has commanded a Gentile to repent and 
obey the Gospel since the days that inspiration ceased, 
or since the days that Apostles and Prophets ceased 
from among men, says that which he will not be able to 
prove, unless he proves that some revelation has been 
given since that time, again commissioning men to go to 
the Gentiles with such an errand. 


WITH ALL NATIONS, ETC. 


161 


The fact is, God requires nothing more of a genera- 
tion than to do those things which He commands them, 
and a generation to whom He reveals nothing, or to 
whom He does not send men with a message from Him, 
have no message to obey, and none to reject, and conse- 
quently nothing is binding on them, except the 
moral principles of right and wrong, which are equally 
binding on all age3 of the world, according to the 
knowledge people have of moral rectitude. 

But in these last days God has again spoken from 
the heavens, and commissioned men to go, first to the 
Gentiles, commanding them everywhere to repent and 
obey the Gospel ; and then He has commanded them to 
go to the Jews also, and command them to repent, and 
obey the Gospel ; thus restoring again that which has 
been so long lost from the earth. And wherever their 
voices shall be heard issuing this proclamation, in the 
name of Jesus, according as he has commanded them, 
then and there the people are under obligation to repent 
and be baptized. And he that repents and is baptized 
shall be saved; and he that does not believe their testi- 
mony, and repent and be baptized, shall be damned, 
for this plain reason, because God has sent them, by 
revelation, with this very errand, to this very genera- 
tion, and he that rejects the least of God’s ambassadors 
rejects Him that sent him, and therefore they are 
under condemnation from that time forth. But the 
message which God has sent these men with, is binding 
only on the generation to whom it is sent, and is not 
binding at all upon those who are dead and gone before 
it came ; neither will it be binding on any generation 

which shall come after, unless God should raise up men 
M 


162 


THE DEALINGS OF GOD 


and send unto them with the same Gospel, and then 
that generation to whom He sends them, will be saved 
or damned, according as they receive or reject their testi- 
mony. 

People frequently ask this question — “If God has 
sent men with certain truths which are binding on the 
people, and without which they cannot be saved, what 
will become of the good people who have died before 
the message came?” I answer, if they obeyed the 
message which God sent to their own generation, they 
will be saved ; but if not, they will be damned : but if 
God sent no message to that generation, then they re- 
jected none, and consequently, are under no condemna- 
tion ; and they will rise up in judgment against this 
generation, and condemn it; for if they had received 
the same blessings which are now offered to us, they 
would no doubt have received them gladly. The prin- 
ciple of condemnation, in all ages of the world, is no 
other than rejecting the very message which God sends 
to them while they pretend to cleave closely to that 
which He has sent in former ages. 

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, ye 
garnish the sepulchres of the Prophets, and say : “ If we 
had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have 
stoned and killed the Prophets as they did.” But ye 
yourselves are witnesses, that you allow the deeds of 
your fathers; for they killed the Prophets, and you 
build their sepulchres. This was the testimony of the 
Savior to the Jews, who were pretending to stand stiffly 
for their former Prophets, and at the same time reject- 
ing Jesus and his Apostles. And so it is now in the 
nineteenth century. You Christians (so called) garnish 


WITH ALL, NATIONS, ETC. 


163 


the tombs of the Messiah and his former Apostles, and 
even build fine chapels to their memory, entitling them, 
Saint Peter’s Church, Saint Paul’s Church, Saint John’s 
Church, &c. ; and you say : f ‘ If we had lived in the days 
of the Apostles, we would not have stoned and killed 
them.” But ye yourselves are witnesses, that ye allow 
the deeds of your fathers : for they killed the Apostles, 
and you build chapels in honor of them ; while at the 
same time, if a Prophet or an Apostle comes among 
you, you will forthwith shut your houses against him, 
as soon as he testifies of what God has sent him to tes- 
tify, for you say there are to be no more Prophets or 
Apostles on the earth, and you forthwith pronounce 
him a false Prophet; and if a mob rise and kill him, or 
burn his house, or destroy his goods, you will either re- 
joice, or sit in silence and give countenance to the deed, 
and perhaps cry, “ False Prophets! ” while your presses 
and pulpits teem with all manner of lies concerning 
him. Woe unto you, priests, Pharisees, hypocrites ; 
but fill ye up the measure of your fathers, for as they 
did, so do ye. Vengeance belongs to God. He will 
speedily avenge His elect, who cry unto Him day and 
night. 

But to return to the subject of Revelation. “ There is 
nothing secret that shall not be revealed : neither hid 
that shall not be known ; ” this was a maxim of the 
Savior. And again: “ The knowledge of the Lord is to 
cover the earth, as the waters do the sea.” Now, I 
ask how this great overturn is to be brought about? 
and I know no better way to answer this question, than 
to quote the prophecy of Nephi, Book of Mormon, 2 
Nephi xii. 8—10 : “For I command all men, both in the 


164 


THE DEALINGS OF GOD 


east, and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, 
and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the 
words which I speak unto them ; for out of the books 
which shall be written, I will judge the world, every 
man according to their works, according to that which 
is written. For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews, 
and they shall write it. And I shall also speak unto the 
Nephites, and they shall write it. And I shall also 
speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel which 
I have led away, and they shall write it. And I shall 
also speak unto all the nations of the earth, and they 
shall write it. And it shall come to pass that the Jews 
shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites 
shall have the words of the Jews ; and the Nephites 
and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of 
Israel ; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words 
of the Nephites and the Jews. And it shall come to 
pass, that my people, which are of the house of Israel, 
shall be gathered home unto the lands of their posses- 
sions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And 
I will show unto them that fight against my word, and 
against my people who are of the house of Israel, that I 
am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham, that I 
would remember his seed for ever.” 


THE CONTRAST 


165 


CHAPTER VII. 

A CONTRAST BETWEEN THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST AND 
THE FALSE DOCTRINES OF THE NINETEENTH CEN- 
TURY. 


“ Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of 
Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, 
he hath both the Father and the Son.” — 2 John, verse 9. 


THE DOCTRINE OP CHRIST. 

And these signs shall follow 
them that believe. 


In my name shall they cast 
out devils. 

They shall speak with new 
tongues. 

They shall take up serpents, 
and if they drink any deadly 
thing it shall not hurt them; 
they shall lay hands on the sick, 
and they shall recover. 


He that believeth on me, the 
works that I do shall he do also; 
and greater works than these 
shall he do; because I go to the 
Father. 

There is nothing secret that 
shall not be revealed, neither hid 
that shall not be known. 

And He shall send His angels, 
and they shall gather His elect 
from the four winds, etc. 

And I saw an angel flying in 
the midst of heaven, having the 
everlasting Gospel to preach to 
them that dwell on the earth, 
0 tc 

And when He, the Spirit of 
truth, is come, he will guide you 
into all truth; again, “He shall 
show you things to come.” 


THE DOCTRINES OP MEN. 

And these signs shall not fol- 
low them that believe, for they 
are done away and no longer 
needed. 

In his name they shall not 
cast out devils. 

The gift of tongues is no longer 
needed . 

If they take up serpents, they 
will bite them; if they drink 
any deadly thing it will kill 
them. They shall not lay hands 
on the sick, and if they do they 
shall not recover ; for such things 
are done away. 

He that believeth on Christ 
shall not do any of the miracles 
and mighty works that he did, 
for such things have ceased. 

There is to be no more revela- 
tion, for all things necessary are 
already revealed. 

And there is to be no more 
ministering of angels, for such 
things are done away. 

Angels do not appear in this 
enlightened age, because they 
are no longer needed. 


And inspiration is no longer 
needed in this age of learning 
and refinement. Again, it shall 
not show you things to come: 
for then you would be a Prophet, 
and there are to be no Prophets 
in these days. 


166 


THE CONTRAST 


THE DOCTRINE OP CHRIST. 

If ye abide in me, and my 
words abide in you, you shall ask 
what you will, in my name, and 
I will give it you. 

Father, neither pray I for these 
alone, but for all them, that shall 
believe on me through their 
words, that they may all be one, 
even as we are one. 

One Lord, one faith, and one 
baptism. 

And by one Spirit are ye all 
baptized into one body. 

And God gave some Apostles; 
and some, Prophets; and some, 
Evangelists; and some, Pastors 
and Teachers; for the perfecting 
of the Saints, for the work of the 
ministry, for the edifying of the 
body of Christ. 


These gifts and offices were to 
continue until we all came into 
the unity of the faith, and of the 
knowledge of the Son of God, 
unto a perfect man, unto the 
measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ. 

These gifts and offices were 
given that we henceforth be no 
more children tossed to and fro, 
and carried about with every 
wind of doctrine, by the sleight 
of men, and cunning craftiness, 
whereby they lie in wait to de- 
ceive. 

For no man taketh this honor 
upon himself, but he that is 
called of God as was Aaron. 

But how shall they preach, 
except they be sent (of God)? 


Is any sick among you ? let 
him call for the Elders of the 
Church; and let them pray over 
him, anointing him with oil in 
the name of the Lord: and the 
prayer of faith shall save the 
sick, and the Lord shall raise 
him up; and if he have commit- 
ted sins they shall be forgiven 
him. 

Repent and be baptized every 
one of you in the name of Jesus 


THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. 

It is not so in these days, we 
must not expect to heal the sick 
and work miracles, consequent- 
ly we must not expect to receive 
what we ask for. 

And we are all good Christians, 
and we all believe on him 
through the Apostle’s words, al- 
though divided into several hun- 
dred different sects. 

Many Lords, many faiths, and 
three or four kinds of baptism. 

And by many spirits are we 
all torn asunder into different 
bodies. 

And there are to be no more 
Apostles, and no more Prophets. 
But the work of the ministry, 
the perfecting of the Saints, and 
the edifying of the different 
bodies of Christ, can all be done 
very well without these gifts of 
God, only give us money enough 
to educate and employ the wis- 
dom of men. 

Apostles, miracles, and gifts 
were to continue during the first 
age of Christianity, and then 
were to cease, because no longer 
needed, having accomplished 
their purpose. 

Tracts, creeds, sermons, and 
commentaries of uninspired 
men, together with a hireling 
priesthood, are now necessary in 
order to keep men from being 
carried about with every wind of 
doctrine, etc. 

For no man taketh this honor 
upon himselt, but one who has 
been educated for the purpose, 
and commissioned by men. 

But how shall they preach ex- 
cept they be well educated for 
the purpose, and sent (by the 
board of officers)? 

If any are sick among you, do 
not send for the Elders of the 
Church; or, if the Elders come, 
do not let them lay hands on 
them, neither let them anoint 
them in the name of the Lord, 
for this is all Mormon delusion ; 
but send for a good physician, 
and perhaps they may get well. 

Repent and come to the 
anxious seat (penitent form), 


THE CONTRAST 


167 


THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. 

Christ, for the remission of sins, 
and ye shall receive the gift of 
the Holy Ghost; for the promise 
is unto you, and to your children, 
and to all that are afar off, even 
as many as the Lord our God 
shall call. 

It shall come to pass in the 
last days, saith God, that I will 
pour out my spirit upon all 
flesh: and your sons and your 
daughters shall prophesy, and 
your young men shall see vis- 
ions, and your old men shall 
dream dreams, etc. 


Covet earnestly the best gifts, 
but rather that ye prophesy. 


Covet to prophesy, and forbid 
not to speak with tongues. 

But in vain do they worship 
me, teaching for doctrines the 
commandments of men. 

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, because thou 
hast hid these things from the 
wise and prudent, and hast re- 
vealed them unto babes; even 
so, Father, for so it seemed good 
in thy sight. 

No man knoweth the Son but 
the Father, neither knoweth any 
man the Father save the Son, 
and he to whomsoever the Son 
will reveal Him. 

And this is life eternal, that 
they might know thee the only 
true God, and Jesus Christ,whom 
thou hast sent. 

I thank my God always on 
your behalf, for the grace of God 
which is given you by Jesus 
Christ, that in every thing ye are 
enriched by Him in all utter- 
ance, and in all knowledge, even 
as the testimony of Christ (the 
spirit of prophecy) was confirm- 
ed in you, so that ye come be- 
hind in no good gift, waiting for 
the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 


THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. 

every one of you, and cry, “ Lord, 
Lord,” and may be you will get 
forgiveness of sins; and you may 
be baptized or not; but if you do. 
you will not get the Holy Ghost 
as they did anciently, for such 
things are done away. 

And in these last days the 
Lord will not pour out His Spirit 
so as to cause our sons and 
daughters to prophesy, our old 
men to dream dreams, and our 
young men to see visions; for 
such things are no longer 
needed, and it is all delusion, 
and none but the ignorant 
believe such things. 

Do not covet any of the super- 
natural gifts, but especially be- 
ware of prophesying, for such 
things are done away. 

Do not prophesy, and it is all a 
delusion to speak in tongues. 

It matters not what kind of 
doctrine, or what system, a man 
embraces, if he is only sincere 
and worships Jesus Christ. 

We thank God that he has re- 
vealed nothing to any person, 
wise or simple, for many hun- 
dred years, but that our wise and 
learned men have been able to 
know God without a revelation, 
and that we shall never be favor- 
ed with any more. 

We all know God in this en- 
lightened age, and yet neither 
the Father nor the Son has re- 
vealed any thing to any of us* 
for we do not believe revelations 
are necessary now. 

And we cannot know for our- 
selves, by any positive manifes- 
tation in these days, but must 
depend on the wisdom and 
learning of men. 

We thank the Lord always in 
behalf of the Church in these 
days, that she has no super- 
natural gifts given unto her, and 
that she is not enriched by 
Christ, neither in the gift of ut- 
terance, nor in the gift of know- 
ledge; neither has she the testi- 
mony of Jesus (the spirit of 
prophecy) confirmed in her, and 
she comes behind in all the gifts; 
nor is she waiting for, or expect- 
ing, the coming of the Lord; for 
he has come once, and never 
will come again till the great 


168 


THE CONTRAST 


THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. 


The foolishness of God is wiser 
than men; and the weakness of 
God is stronger than men. For 
you see your calling, brethren, 
how that not many wise men 
after the flesh, not many mighty, 
not many noble, are called; but 
God hath chosen the foolish 
things of the world to confound 
the wise; and God hath chosen 
the weak things of the world to 
confound the things which are 
mighty, and base things of the 
world, and things which are de- 
spised, hath God chosen; yea, 
and things which are not, to 
bring to nought things that are; 
that no flesh should glory in His 
presence. 

And I, brethren, when I came 
to you, came not with excellency 
of speech or of wisdom, declar- 
ing unto you the testimony of 
God; for I determined not to 
know anything among you, save 
Jesus Christ and him crucified. 
And I was with you in weakness, 
and in fear, and in much trem- 
bling. And my speech and my 
preaching was not with enticing 
words of man’s wisdom, but in 
demonstration of the Spirit and 
of power; that your faith should 
not stand in the wisdom of men, 
but in the power of God. 

But we speak the wisdom of 
God in a mystery, even the hid- 
den wisdom, which God ordained 
before the world unto our glory; 
which none of the princes of this 
world knew : for had they 
known it, they would not have 
crucified the Lord of glory. 

But God hath revealed them 
unto us, by His Spirit ; for the 
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, 
the deep things of God. 


For what man knoweth the 
things of a man, save the spirit 
of man which is in him? Even 
so the things of God knoweth no 
man, but the Spirit of God. 


Now we have received not the 
spirit of the world, but the Spirit 
which is of God: that we might 


THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. 

and last day, the end Of the 
earth. 

The wisdom of men, and the 
learningof men, are better than 
the inspiration of the Almighty, 
for that is not needed any longer; 
lor you see your calling, breth- 
ren, how that the wise and learn- 
ed, and noble, and mighty are 
called in these days; for we have 
chosen such to confound the 
foolish, the unleai’ned, and the 
ignorant; yea, to confound the 
base things of the world which 
are despised, that flesh might 
glory in His presence. 


And we, brethren, when we 
came unto you, came with excel- 
lency of speech, and with the 
wisdom and learning of man; 
and our speech and our preach- 
ing were with enticing words of 
man’s wisdom, not in demon- 
stration of the Spirit and power, 
for that is done away; that your 
faith should not stand in the 
power of God, but in the wisdom 
of man. 


But we speak the wisdom of 
man in a mystery, even the hid- 
den wisdom which none but the 
learned knew; for had others 
known it, they would never bave 
been under the necessity of em- 
ploying us to tell it to them. 

But God hath revealed noth- 
ing unto us by his Spirit; for the 
wisdom and learning of man 
search all things; yea, all the 
deep things which are necessary 
for us to know. 

For what man knoweth the 
things of man, save the spirit of 
man, which is in him? even so 
the things of God knoweth no 
man by the Spirit of God in 
these days, for it is done away, 
or it reveals nothing. 

Now we have not received the 
Spirit of God, but the spirit of 
the world, that we might not 


THE CONTRAST 


169 


THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. 

know the things that are freely 
given to us of God. 

Which things also we speak, 
not in the words which man’s 
wisdom teacheth, but which the 
Holy Ghost teacheth: compar- 
ing spiritual things with spirit- 
ual. 

But the natural man receiveth 
not the things of the Spirit of 
God: for they are foolishness 
unto him; neither can he know 
them, because they are spirit- 
ually discerned. 

Let no man deceive himself. 
If any man among you seemeth 
to be wise in this world, let him 
become a fool, that he may be 
wise. 

For the wisdom of this world 
is foolishness with God: for it is 
written, He taketh the wise in 
their own craftiness. And again, 
The Lord knoweth the thoughts 
of the wise, that they are vain. 
Therefore, let no man glory in 
men. 

Now concerning spiritual gifts, 
brethren, I would not have you 
ignorant. 


But the manifestation of the 
Spirit is given to every man to 
profit withal. 

For to one is given by the 
Spirit the word of wisdom; to 
another, the word of knowledge 
by the same Spirit. 

To another, faith by the same 
Spirit; to another, the gifts of 
healing by the same Spirit. 

To another, the working of 
miracles; to another, prophecy; 
to another, discerning of spirits; 
to another, divers kinds of 
tongues; to another, the inter- 
pretation of tongues. 

For as the body is one, and 
hath many members, and all the 
members of that one body, be- 
ing many, are one body, so also 
is Christ. 

For by one Spirit are we all 
baptized into one body, whether 
we be Jews or Gentiles, whether 


THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. 

know for a certainty, but that we 
might guess at, or give our 
opinion of, the things of God. 

Which things also we speak, 
not in the words which the Holy 
Ghost teacheth, but which man’s 
wisdom teacheth: for the in- 
spiration of the Holy Ghost is 
done away. 

But the learned man may re- 
ceive and understand the things 
of God by his own wisdom, 
without the inspiration of the 
Spirit: for who will be so foolish 
as to believe in visions and rev- 
elations in this religious age. 

Let no man deceive himself. 
If any man among you seemeth 
to be wise in the things of God, 
let him get the wisdom of men, 
that he may be wise. 

For the wisdom of God is fool- 
ishness with the world, for it is* 
written, Let us educate young 
men for the ministry; and again, 
Let no man preach who has not 
been educated for the purpose; 
and especially, receive no man 
who professes to be inspired. 

N ow, concerning spiritual gifts, 
brethren, we would have you 
entirely ignorant, for they are 
not needed at all in this genera- 
tion. 

But the manifestation of the 
Spirit is given to no man to profit 
at all. 

But to one is given, by the 
learning of men, the word of 
wisdom; and to another the 
word of knowledge by human 
learning. 

And to another faith, by the 
same Spirit; but to none the 
gift of healing by the same 
Spirit. 

And to none the working of 
miracles, and to none to prophe- 
sy, and to none discerning of 
spirits, and to none to speak 
with divers kinds of tongues, 
and to none to interpret tongues. 

For as the body is composed 
of many sects and parties who 
are opposed to each other, and 
have no gifts, and being many 
sects, are but one body, so also 
is Antichrist. 

For by many spirits are we all 
baptized into many bodies, 
whether we be Catholics or 
N 


170 


THE CONTRAST 


THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. 


THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. 


we be bond or free ; and have 
been all made to drink into one 
Spirit. 

For the body is not one mem- 
ber, but many. 

But now hath God set the mem- 
bers every one of them in the 
body, as it hath pleased Him. 

And if they were all one mem- 
ber, where were the body ? 

But now are they many mem- 
bers, but one body. 

Now ye are the body of Christ, 
and members in particular. 

And God hath set some in the 
Church; first, Apostles; second- 
ly, Prophets; thirdly, Teachers; 
after that, miracles; then, gifts 
# of healings, helps, governments, 
'diversities of tongues. 

Blessed are ye, when men 
shall revile you, and persecute 
you, and shall say all manner of 
evil against you falsely, for my 
sake: rejoice, and be exceeding 
glad ; for great is your reward in 
heaven; for so persecuted they 
the Prophets which were before 
you. 

Give to him that asketh th,ee; 
and from him that would bor- 
row of thee turn thou not away. 


Be ye therefore perfect even as 
your Father who is in heaven is 
perfect. 

Take heed that you do not your 
alms before men, to be seen of 
them; otherwise ye have no re- 
ward of your Father who is in 
heaven. 

Therefore, when thou doest 
thine alms, do not sound a trum- 
pet before thee, as the hypocrites 
do in the synagogues and in the 
streets, that they may have glory 
of men. Verily I say unto you, 
They have their reward. 


Protestants, Presbyterians or 
Methodists, but have all drunk 
into one spirit, even the spirit 
of the world. 

For the body is not one sect, 
but many. 

But now hath the God (of this 
world) set the sects and parties 
in the body (of Antichrist) as it 
hath pleased him. 

And if they were all one sect, 
where were the body ? 

But now are they many sects, 
yet but one body (even Baby- 
lon). 

Now ye are the body of Anti- 
christ, and members in partic- 
ular. 

And man hath set some in 
the Church, first, a hireling 
priest; secondly, a board of offi- 
cers; thirdly, tracts; then com- 
mentaries, creeds, ana diversities 
of opinions; hence, societies 
and wondrous helps. 

Woe unto you, when men 
revile you, and persecute you, 
and say all manner of evil 
against you falsely for Christ’s 
sake. Lament ye, and be ex- 
ceedingly sorrowful in that hour, 
for little is your reward among 
men, for so persecute they the 
Latter-day Saints. 

Give to him that asketh of 
thee, if he be able to make thee 
a similar present; and from him 
that would borrow of thee turn 
not thou away, if he be able to 
pay thee again with good inter- 
est. 

Do not think to be perfect, for 
it is impossible to live without 
sin. 

Take heed that you do your 
alms before men, to be seen of 
them; otherwise, you have no 
reward nor praise from the chil- 
dren of men. 

Therefore when thou doest 
thine alms, publish it in the 
Missionary Herald, or some 
other paper, that you may get 
praise of the world. Verily I say 
unto you, You shall have your re- 
ward. 


And when thou prayest, thou 
shalt not be as the hypocrites 
are; for they love to pray stand- 
ing in the synagogues and in the 


And when thou prayest, be 
like the hypocrites in days of 
old: go before the public and 
cry mightily, not expecting to 


THE CONTRAST 


171 


THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. 

corners of the streets, that they 
may be seen of men. 

Moreover, when ye fast, be not, 
as the hypocrites, of a sad coun- 
tenance: for they disfigure their 
faces, that they may appear unto 
men to fast. Verily I say unto 
you, They have their reward. 

Lay not up for yourselves trea- 
sures upon earth, where moth 
and rust doth corrupt, and where 
thieves break through and steal : 
but lay up for yourselves treas- 
sures in heaven, where neither 
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and 
where thieves do not break 
through nor steal; for where 
our treasure is, there will your 
eart be also. 

Therefore all things whatso- 
ever ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye even so to them : 
for this is the law and the Pro- 
phets. 

Enter ye in at the straight gate ; 
for wide is the gate, and broad is 
the way, that leadeth to destruc- 
tion, and many there be which 
go in thereat. 

Because straight is the gate, 
and narrow is the way, that 
leadeth unto life, aud few there 
be that find it. 

Beware of falseProphets, which 
come to you in sheep’s clothing, 
but inwardly they are ravening 
wolves. Ye shall know them by 
their fruits. Do men gather 
grapes of thorns, or figs of 
thistles ? 


Wherefore, by their fruits ye 
shall know them. Not every 
one that saith unto me, Lord, 
Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven; but he that 
doeth the will of my Father who 
is in heaven. 

And it came to pass, when 
Jesus had ended these sayings, 
the people were astonished at 
his doctrine: for he taught them 
as one having authority, and not 
as the scribes. 


THE DOCTRINES OF MEN. 

be heard and answered, for 
that would be miraculous, and 
miracles have ceased. 

Moreover, when ye fast, be like 
the hypocrites, of a sad counten- 
ance, that ye may appear unto 
men to fast; so that you may 
get your reward. 

Lay up for yourselves abun- 
dance of treasures on the earth, 
where moth and rust doth cor- 
rupt, and where thieves break 
through and steal; for if your 
heart is only in heaven, it is no 
matter how rich you are in this 
world; for now it is come to pass 
that ye can serve God and mam- 
mon. 

Therefore all things whatso- 
ever men do to you, do ye even 
so to them; for this is the law 
and the practice. 

Enter ye in at. the wide gate, 
where the multitude go : for it 
cannot be that all our great and 
learned men are wrong, and no- 
body right but a few obscure 
individuals. 

For the narrow way is not al- 
together too straight, but only a 
very few travel in it. 

Beware of Prophets who come 
to you with the Word of God; 
you may know at once they are 
false, without hearing them or 
examining their fruits; popular 
opinion is against them; where- 
as, if they were men of God, the 
people would speak well of 
them. 

If we are only sure that we 
have experienced religion, and 
we pray often, we shall be saved, 
whether we do the Lord’s will 
or not; for it mattereth not 
what system we embrace, 
whether it be right or wrong, if 
we are only sincere. 

And it came to pass, when 
men had ended these sayings, 
the people were pleased with 
their doctrines, for they taught 
them not as men having author- 
ity, but as the scribes. 


























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